


The Recruit

by deliciousnobody



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, F/M, Vampire Bella Swan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27689491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deliciousnobody/pseuds/deliciousnobody
Summary: It was just supposed to be a simple errand, but when an accident changes Bella Swan’s life as she knows it, she finds herself thrown into the world of vampires and newborn armies. All Bella wants is to return home, but there’s more waiting for her in Forks than she realizes. AU. E/B
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 20
Kudos: 68





	1. A Fatal Meeting

“Eggs, Mom, really?” I muttered as I switched on my brights. The roads were fairly empty tonight.

It had been just a little after 10pm, right around the time I was putting a bookmark in my novel-- _Wide Sargasso Sea_ \-- and starting to head to bed, that Renée called to me in a panic from the kitchen. Her school was having its Holiday Assembly tomorrow, and she had forgotten that she had signed up to make three dozen cupcakes. Phil couldn’t help, he was away at the baseball Winter Meeting in Anaheim, networking and trying to get signed. Renée dragged me into the kitchen, and together we hastily began to bake. Luckily, Renée had managed to remember to buy enough chocolate cupcake mix. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to buy enough eggs, and after finishing the batter for one batch, we were out. 

“Bella, how about you run down to the Safeway, and I’ll stay here and watch the oven,” Renée said, as she flitted about the kitchen in search of a piping bag leftover from her cake decorating class. Renée had initially wanted us to bake and decorate our own cake for her and Phil’s wedding. But when neither of us had ended up with perfect cake borders and delicately piped flowers by the end of the course, Renée had acquiesced and asked the class instructor, a young pastry chef with her own bakery, for her card instead. 

Renée located the piping bag, and set it down on the table beside our homemade buttercream (the one skill we had acquired from the class) and a case of festive edible pearls.

“Besides, I have to get started on decorating the first batch once they’re ready. Take my car, the keys are....well I know I left them by the door because I was thinking about buying Phil that new coat I saw the other day, you know the one? It was a sort of navy blue, very flattering--” The oven timer beeped, and Renée jumped mid-sentence. “Oh! They’re done!”

“Remember to let them cool!” I called, moving towards the door. Her purse was open, and hung precariously on one of the rungs of the eclectic coat rack. I fished Renée’s keys out of the clay vase that sat just underneath the coat rack and headed out to her car.

Now, it was nearing 11pm, and I was driving to Safeway, praying that the store was still open and hoping that there wasn’t some other item Renée would desperately need the moment I got home. I made a mental note to pick up some milk and extra frosting while at the supermarket, just in case. 

“And maybe a tray of cookies...” I considered, knowing without me present, Renée might accidentally leave the cupcakes in the oven too long.

Suddenly, there was a dark figure in the middle of the road. 

I swerved, but in my panic overcompensated, and hit the guard rail. I felt the car lurching sideways, until it rolled completely over and off the side of the road. My head banged against the headrest, and the seatbelt burned roughly across my chest and the side of my neck. The window shattered, and tiny glass fragments rained down on my skin. The car came to a stop, rolled over passenger side down. I was still strapped in, my arms dangling in front and to the side of me. I coughed, and took several quick, deep breaths in. My chest ached, and my head throbbed as I tried to blink through the dizziness. A rusty scent filled the car, and I groaned. That wouldn’t help the dizziness.

Black spots danced across my vision, and there was a sudden, horrid, metallic, ripping sound. With a rush of cool, desert air, I realized the car door had just been torn off. Had paramedics arrived? Strange, I hadn’t heard any sirens, and it seemed too fast for them to have been here already. Maybe I had blacked out.

A cool hand grasped my shoulder, while the other reached around me to free me from the seatbelt. With a swiftness I didn’t think was possible, the stranger caught me as I fell out of my seat and pulled me up and out of the car, placing me down on my back. My vision swirled, but I was able to vaguely make out my savior.

It was a man. I couldn’t see much of him in the darkness, but he was tall. Well built. Dressed in dark clothing that blended in with the night around us. Dark, messy hair, with equally dark eyes. The only thing not dark about the man was his skin, which was an odd pallid color, tinted with olive, that seemed to glow in the moonlight. He stood above me, his head cocked to the side as he stared down at me. I tried to speak, to thank him for saving me, but the pain in my chest and side became sharper with every inhale. 

A strange sound, almost like a hiss, escaped the man’s mouth. 

In an instant, I was airborne. I couldn’t make sense of the change in motion, until I realized there were arms around me. The man was carrying me, and moving so fast that the wind whipped my hair around my face. Then, as quickly as he started, the man stopped. I found myself back on the ground, gravel digging into my back. Nausea swirled in my stomach, and I attempted to roll myself over to one side. 

“She won’t be happy with me about this,” the man spoke abruptly. I was surprised by the beauty of his voice, smooth with a Spanish lilt.

Before I even had time to question what he was saying, before my mind could even process the words, I felt his hands on me again. They pressed down on my shoulder and face. It hurt, and I wanted to yell at the man to let me go, but then there was a new pain. Sharp, at my neck. Stinging. Spreading. _Burning._

And this time I did cry out, my voice breaking. I tried to move, kicking my legs and flailing my arms, but the man held me down. The pressure at my neck increased, and with it came another stinging wave that spread across my shoulder and down my back. I whimpered softly, letting my arms fall limp. There was an almost...numbness that seemed to follow the burning. My limbs felt heavier, my breathing more languid. My heart stuttered and I knew.

I was dying. 

A wild roar filled the air. In my daze, all I could think of was that a coyote was near...but they didn’t make that sort of sound, did they?

And then the burning was back full force. Worse than before, stronger, hotter. Scorching me from the inside out with unrelenting fire. Flames ran down my arms, across my chest, searing me with burns. I screamed out in agony, but then something blocked my mouth. A hand?

Something shifted me, and I felt chilled air breeze against my body. But it did not bring any relief against the fire, which raged on undeterred. 

I was moving again. Or rather, I was being moved. Through the blaze, I felt the slightest hint of ice against my body. Arms curled underneath me. The man. He must’ve been holding me, running like he had before.

How? Why? I couldn’t make sense of any of it. But then I couldn’t really think much at all as the fire spread. My throat was ragged, and I realized I was still screaming against the man’s hand on my face. 

I lost all sense of time as we moved, too consumed by the burning to think of anything else. I knew I was jerking, writhing as the man held me, but for all I could tell he never stumbled.

Hours passed. Maybe days. Years. All I knew was the fire. 

Somewhere beyond the flames came a woman’s voice. She was speaking fast, her tone sharp, and I could barely make out the words. It wasn’t just the speed that made her difficult to understand, I realized. She was speaking in Spanish. I only caught a word or two between her and the man.

“....blood....couldn’t wait...”

“hair...too late...weak...”

“what...where”

“...outside....away....a day”

There was a new sensation at my back, and through the fiery haze, some part of me knew I was no longer in the man’s arms. But where? I had no idea. And I couldn’t linger on any of those thoughts because the fire was getting worse.

It didn’t seem possible. It _couldn’t_ be possible. The inferno blazed through every cell of my body, and I heard my scream echo around me. The flames centered in my chest, a white-hot sun so intense it overpowered everything else. And with a start, I realized it wasn’t just that the flames in my chest were stronger than the rest. The burn was receding from my extremities, my toes and fingers infinitesimally cooler than my arms. I wanted to sigh in relief, but I’d screamed my throat raw and all I felt was a whistle of air that only seemed to desiccate my mouth more.

It was a paradoxical feeling. Chill in my feet and hands; boiling lava in my chest. My heart thudded a rapid rhythm. With every inch of soothed skin I felt, the fire surrounding my heart shot up. The salve was up to my stomach while the flames were constricting my heart, forcing it to pound faster and faster. It was too much sensation. I could feel it all converging; the cold, the heat, the speed, circling my heart, racing each other to some unknown destination. 

My heartbeat quickened, a hummingbird rhythm, as the fire chased it down, the icy balm lagging somewhere behind... 

And they collided. An explosion. A surge. A thundering that quickly became quiet. Too quiet.

My heart had stopped. The burning was gone. The chill washed over me like a sweet caress. I opened my eyes in blessed relief. 

I didn’t know where I was, but I knew I had never seen anything like it before. It wasn’t a remarkable place--an old, dilapidated barn--but my eyes took it in as something incredible.

I could see every grain and knothole in the aged wooden roof. I noted which pieces were decaying, and even spotted a spider scurrying across the boards, its web spinning out behind it like shimmering silk. The moon shone down, bright as a spotlight in the midnight sky, surrounded by stars that were more akin to diamonds. The straw I lay on--for I now knew what it was--was more texturally complex than I could have ever imagined. Soft and dry, spiky and flexible, but not uncomfortable. I could feel each individual strand underneath my body. I knew the exact number without even having to think about it. There was a distant rumbling sound, mechanical and whirring, and I gasped as a plane flew over the barn, its lights blinking in colors far more intricate than red--ruby and amber and silver and more I could not name. 

But I couldn’t focus on the colors anymore. As I gasped, my lungs filled with air, and brought with them tastes and smells of all varieties. The stale but sweet straw, the mold in the wall, the promise of rain on the wind, and something.... _something_...

Flames licked my throat, and my hand wrapped around my neck. So the burning wasn’t gone completely. There was an aching need deep within me, urging me to search for that scent again. I inhaled, parsing through the unnecessary--wood and glue and oil--until _there._ What was that? It was all around me, suddenly so powerful and impossible to ignore. It wasn’t perfect. Somehow I knew that the smell was off, old. But even wrong, it was undeniably heaven. My throat tightened. I dropped my constricting hand, and as it fell, it brushed against something odd on my shirt. I glanced down, my mouth burning as I took in the dark, reddish-brown smudges across my ripped blue tank. 

Dried blood. 

I expected light-headedness, nausea, all the usual feelings I had whenever I saw blood, but instead all I felt was... _desire._ Burning, white-hot desire that had me clawing at my shirt and lifting it to my mouth as my jaws snapped in a desperate need to quell the all-encompassing thirst. 

What had happened to me?

I heard movement behind the door, and instantly I was standing. Well, rather I was crouching, hunched over in a defensive position. There was no thought behind the action, it was all instinctual. 

The door opened, and a man took a cautious step in. He was dressed in unremarkable clothing, though I could see every rip and tear, every stain and discoloration. He didn’t seem terribly older than me, perhaps mid-twenties. His black hair lay in unkempt waves that stopped just below his ears. His eyes were an unnatural shade of burgundy, and they gazed at me with piercing scrutiny.

But it was the scars that sent a jolt of fear through me. Crescent-shaped scars up and down his arms. Teeth. 

A snarl ripped through my teeth, and the vicious sound startled me so that I jumped back, hitting one of the wooden supports. It cracked, and part of the roof came tumbling down in front of me. For a moment I was distracted, captivated by the way the light and dust danced together amongst the falling, shattered pieces of wood. Then, the man laughed. It was an odd sound, a bit like bells. I focused back on him, the words escaping before I consciously decided to speak.

“Who are you? Where am I?” I shrunk against the sound. That wasn’t my voice. I mean, it was, but different. Smoother. Alien. 

“My name is Joaquin. What is yours?”

I hesitated. “Bella.”

“You can trust me, Bella. I’m here to take care of you.”

I didn’t believe that for a second. “What did you do to me?”

His eyes narrowed. He spoke again, his tone a bit more forceful. “Your questions will be answered later. For now, you need to feed. Come with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

There was just the briefest flash of surprise across Joaquin’s face, but he quickly composed himself. He took another step into the barn. I bared my teeth at him in warning, my chest rumbling. 

“How strange,” he murmured. His eyes focused on me, the burgundy irises intense. “You will step out of the barn with me now.”

“Like hell I will.” 

Joaquin swore, then stepped out of the barn, shutting the door behind him. There were light footsteps; someone had joined him outside. Joaquin spoke to them in Spanish, and I caught the words “man” and “here”and something else that I think was “stubborn.” The other person did not respond, but I listened as they ran away, stretching my ears to follow them. I lost them for a brief moment, but when their footsteps returned, they were accompanied by another sound. A heavy, rhythmic sound that entranced me. The footsteps grew closer, the thudding became louder, and there was something in the air that had me lifting my nose and inhaling--

And I was off like a shot. I don’t know how fast I moved. I wasn’t aware. I burst through the barn door, not even wasting time to open it in my eagerness to get to that scent. _That scent_. Similar to what I had smelled earlier, but so much better. Purer. It smelled right and good and like the answers to all my questions. There were other scents in the air, sweet and strangely familiar, but I ignored them. I zeroed in on the source, and pounced, pinning it down with my body as my teeth sliced through feeble resistance. 

Ecstasy. 

Warmth and goodness and sweet, sweet relief eased down my burning throat, cooling it and filling my body with light and joy. I moaned, first in pleasure, and then in despair as my heaven ran dry. I sat up, my eyes closed, savoring the last remnants of flavor.

My delight turned to horror when I opened my eyes.

A man lay dead at my feet. His neck, torn and ripped to shreds. His glassy blue eyes stared frightfully into nothing. 

I jumped back in shock, my hands raising to my face. But they were covered in the man’s blood and desire shook through me, igniting me again. 

“ _¿Más?_ ” A purring voice asked me. I knew that one. _More_.

I turned to look at the woman who had spoken. She was several inches shorter than me, her skin that same pale olive like Joaquin’s, with glossy black hair flowing in waves around her face. She eyed me with a knowing smirk. The smell of the man clung to her, still as heady and intoxicating as it had been mere moments ago. Against my wishes, I felt myself move towards her, my body shifting into a crouch. A growl rumbled in my chest.

The woman gave a breathy laugh and darted around the side of the barn. I followed her instantly, some instinctual part of me thrumming with anticipation. We raced across a mile or so of farmland, till we came upon a small shed. The woman came to a stop and grabbed the door handle. She turned her head over her shoulder, and beckoned me closer with a single finger. As I approached, she threw the door open, and I glimpsed two women in rumpled clothing, huddled close. They were trembling, gazing at me with wide eyes. I knew what was coming, and I wanted to stop myself, but the smell of the women and the sounds of their heartbeats swirled around me, drawing me in like a vortex. I killed them both in quick succession, reveling in their sublime taste even as I hated myself. 

_No!_ I wanted to scream, as my teeth sliced through the soft neck of the first woman. _Stop this!_ I yelled at myself as I reached for the second woman. 

I dropped her as soon as she was dry and fell to my knees. My shoulders shook, and my chest rose and fell with quick breaths as sobs shuddered through my body. I expected tears to course down my face, but felt nothing except an odd, unresolved stinging in my eyes. It felt like there was a speck of dirt trapped, and I pressed the heel of my hand to my eyes, rubbing furiously. But the speck seemed stuck, much like my tears. 

“ _Levántate,_ ” the woman commanded. 

“Get up,” she repeated when I didn’t move.

“What’s happened to me?” I whispered, glancing down at my hands, pale in the moonlight. Paler than I knew I had been.

“You have been changed, lifted from your former, lowly human state to fulfill a higher purpose.”

“Changed?” I echoed.

“Joaquin wasn’t supposed to do it. He was meant to bring you to me.”

“But you were bleeding,  _querida_ , and I just couldn’t help myself. Nearly killed you, too! Ha!”

I jumped to my feet as Joaquin materialized beside us. He smiled at me, and I snarled back in response. His smile stretched wider across his face. The woman sighed at the exchange, stepping forward to twist a lock of my hair around her finger.

“It’s too bad about your hair...you’ll have to tie it up. I don’t like my female soldiers being so vulnerable.”

“Soldiers? I’m sorry, I still don’t understand...”

“You will help me free these bloodfields from tyranny, so that we may all eat as well as you have tonight.” 

She turned towards Joaquin. “Put her with the others.”

I felt Joaquin’s hand on my arm, and I spun to throw him off, but Joaquin must’ve been expecting that because suddenly both of my arms were locked in his grasp. He pinned them to my back and pushed me forward.

“Move, _querida_ , or I rip your arms off.” 

I started to snap at him, but then felt his fingers dig deeper into my skin.

“Move,” he commanded, his voice forceful. 

He nudged me forward and I begrudgingly began to move. Joaquin directed me across the farmland, pulling on one arm or the other to push me in a certain direction, laughing when I hissed at him. 

We were headed away from the shed, back towards the barn. With a more lucid mind, I was able to take in the farm and the surrounding area in more detail. Though it was the middle of the night, everything was clear. There were several other buildings between the barn and the shed, every one of them old and decrepit. The fields were overgrown, and filled with dead and dry plants. It was clear no one had lived here in quite some time. Joaquin pushed me towards what seemed to have once been a stable. A strange scent surrounded the stable, but it wasn’t horses or manure. It reminded me of perfume, and as I sniffed the air I could make out three different strains, each one sweet and intriguing, though not as overpowering as what I’d smelled before...

Joaquin released one hand on me to push aside the stable door, and then with a final shove, he deposited me on the ground of the stable. 

“This is Bella. You will tell her what she needs to know. I’ll be back later for training. Behave yourselves.”

A breeze, a creak from the stable door closing, and Joaquin was gone. I looked up to see three young people, their eyes blazing red, glaring at me with bared teeth.


	2. The Trio

I felt myself move into a crouch, mirroring the position of the three that stood before me. The two girls, both pale though one was colored more like Joaquin, seemed ready to attack. The olive-toned one, with lustrous black hair cropped close to her head, shifted her stance with sinuous movements. The paler girl had short brown curls that seemed filled with static electricity, as did the rest of her body, as she bounced back and forth on her toes. 

The lone boy with sandy blond hair eyed me with the same inkling to attack, but then he adjusted himself and pulled out of his crouch. He wasn’t very tall, perhaps only a few inches taller than me, and a little stout. He held up his hands in a show of non-threatening behavior. It didn’t match the scars scattered across his arms, screaming out a dangerous warning. He had less than Joaquin, but enough that I was still wary. I noticed that both of the girls had scars as well, though even less than the boy, perhaps only two or three marring their pristine skin.

“Easy, easy,” the boy said, his voice low and smooth. “Everything’s alright. We’re not going to hurt you.” 

The boy glanced at the two other girls, still in their crouches.

“C’mon, remember how it was. She’s not a threat.”

He looked back at me, his ruby gaze pleading. “We’re not a threat.”

Slowly, the girls straightened, though they still eyed me with distrust and hesitation. I couldn’t blame them. I’m sure I was looking at them the same way. However, once they were no longer crouching and hissing at me, I felt the fight leave my body and was able to straighten up as well.

“I’m Clyde,” the boy said.

“This is Julissa,” he motioned to the black-haired girl, “and Sammi,”he acknowledged the brown-haired girl.

“Bella,” I replied. “What is all this? Where am I?”

“Somewhere in Mexico, we think,” Clyde began. “Just over the border, maybe, but we’re not exactly sure. Maria and Joaquin grabbed us from different places. I’m from California, Sammi’s from New Mexico, and Julissa’s local. Well, she’s from Hermosillo, but we don’t know if that’s near here or not. The whole journey here was confusing, and then the burning after...” We all shuddered. “Well, anyways, nothing’s super clear.” 

“Maria?” I asked.

“Yeah, tiny thing, long black hair, and a killer bite?” Sammi sneered. “She’s the one who did this to us. We’re her property.”

My brow furrowed. “I...I don’t think Maria did this to me...” 

My mind went over the strange things Maria--for I now had a name to put to the mysterious woman--had said about me and Joaquin. Clyde, Julissa, and Sammi were staring, their bright red eyes confused and expectant.

“Maria said something...about how Joaquin wasn’t supposed to do it. But he said he couldn’t help himself, that I was bleeding--”

My throat tightened. I watched Clyde and Sammi wince, and Julissa raise her hand to her neck, her face contorted with pain, and massage the skin absently. 

“I can understand that,” Clyde muttered. “I’m sure you do too, now.”

“Not exactly. Nothing makes any sense.”

“This is your new home,” Clyde explained. “And, life, I guess,” he added with a shrug. “Maria and Joaquin...they took us, all of us, so we could work for them.”

“You’re a little soldier now,” Sammi hissed, her eyes glinting.

“That’s what Maria said but...soldier?” I laughed at the thought. “I can’t fight anyone. I can barely walk without tripping over my own feet.” 

“Maybe before. But not after the change,” said Sammi.

“Change? Maria mentioned that too, but I don’t understand...”

I glanced at my too pale hands, turning them in the moonlight. The blue veins were still there, faded, but I felt no rush, no warmth, no steady beat. There was an idea, a horrible, unbelievable idea lingering at the back of my mind. I could feel it trying to push its way forward, but I shoved it back. Fantasy, I told myself. Utterly absurd. But then Clyde spoke, and what I knew to be true blew away like dandelion seeds.

“You’re a vampire now. A creature of the undead,” Clyde said with mock gravitas, his fingers curling into claws by his face.

“That’s--” _impossible_ , I wanted to say. But I couldn’t. Some part of me knew. I thought back over the people I had eagerly murdered, and how gleefully I reveled in the taste of their... _blood._ Blood. Which I used to hate. But now, the mere thought of it caused an ache in my throat. 

“I don’t understand....” I repeated, sinking into the floor. 

“It happened to all of us. Look,” Clyde lowered himself to my level, settling on the floor beside me. He looked back at the girls and inclined his head towards me. They followed his lead and sat on the ground. 

“It’s a war zone out there. Humans don’t really know about it, but all that violence you hear about? Gang wars and drug cartels? That’s the vamps, taking what’s theirs. Maria, she fights to free this land. Joaquin says that vampires are always fighting for territory, and that Maria used to have a lot. Like, she once owned _everything_ from coast to coast, all that blood, enough for everyone. She made it so no one had to fight anymore, there was just blood, and peace, and freedom. But some vamps didn’t like that, didn’t like Maria. Joaquin said they held a grudge against her, but Maria won’t talk about it.” His forehead creased, cracks in marble. “She lost a battle, a big one, and every single one of her soldiers died. She fled, far away, and ended up here. To rebuild.”

Clyde looked at me, assessing whether I was following. I nodded, urging him to continue. 

“Maria got to me first, about three months ago. Then she grabbed Sammi a month later. Julissa here was our most recent, from last month, until you.”

I eyed the girl with short black hair. She cocked her head in response to my stare, her lips curling into a hint of a smile. I leaned in closer to Clyde.

“Does she speak English?”

Julissa’s eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth at me, the dark growl at odds with her lovely face. 

“Enough,” she snapped at me, her voice high and accented. “But I understand plenty.” 

“Easy,” Clyde cautioned, stretching his hand out towards Julissa. “Joaquin said to behave.”

Julissa growled, but calmed down. 

“And you listen to what he says?” I scoffed.

All three of their heads snapped towards me, eyes wide. 

“You don’t?” Julissa questioned, her eyebrows raised high on her forehead.

“I don’t want to listen to anything he has to say. He gives me the creeps.”

“But you don’t find him compelling?” Sammi interjected. 

“Should I?” 

“When Joaquin says to do something, we do it, even if we don’t want to,” Clyde explained, though he still looked to be in shock.

“And he can stop us from doing something we _want_ to do, with just one word,” Sammi grimaced.

“It’s a vamp thing. Maria says some are special like that.” Clyde’s gaze deepened, searching. “You really don’t find him persuasive at all?”

“No. Not one bit.”

The three of them continued to gape at me in incredulous silence. Sammi was the first to break it.

“That’s so weird...” she muttered.

Great. Even among mythical creatures, I was weird. 

The sudden awkwardness was confining. Desperate to get their attention off of me, I started asking questions about the trio. The first thing that popped out of my mouth was how Maria had gotten to them. Julissa had been driving home from work late at night. She had been a waitress, saving up to pay for nursing school, and volunteering at a local clinic on the weekends. Sammi had been on the road early in the morning to the airport. She was going to surprise her long distance boyfriend for his birthday. They’d been dating since sophomore year of high school, but he’d gone to college out of state. And Clyde...

“I was with my friends from school, a couple of my frat brothers,” Clyde began. “We were heading down to Tijuana for the weekend for one last summer party before classes started back at....Santa Barbara, that’s right. UC Santa Barbara. Sorry, it’s hard to remember human things. Vamp memory, it’s like _perfect_ but everything before is all...foggy. Anyways, we had...maybe just crossed the border when Maria attacked.” Clyde’s brow furrowed, and his eyes became unfocused. “I don’t know why she picked me, but she did. She saw something in me, I guess. Some reason to keep me, make me strong, while she killed the rest.”

“Things get foggy?” I asked, uncomfortable with the look on Clyde’s face.

“Yeah, anything from before. If there’s stuff you’d like to remember, I’d suggest thinking about it now before it’s gone forever. And I do mean forever.” Clyde spread his arms out by his face, palms wide.

I chewed on my lip, marveling at the new texture as I considered the possibility of _forever_. There was just one thing that didn’t add up.

“But you said Maria’s soldiers had died.”

There was an uneasy glance among the trio.

“We can be killed,” Julissa piped up, her voice hesitant. “Fire, it’s very dangerous.”

“We have to be broken,” Clyde explained further. “Our bodies can put themselves back together, as long as they don’t burn.” 

“So never lose sight of your arm,” Sammi added with a sadistic grin. 

I looked at Sammi, with her short, frizzy, brown hair. The image stirred some nagging memory...Clyde said I had to think through the fog. I focused in on Sammi, and let my mind fill in the gaps. She looked familiar...like...like...

_Renée._

Mom.

Oh god. Renée. How could I have forgotten about her? She was probably worried sick. Had she found the car? What did she think had happened to me? 

The perspective shifted around me and I became aware that I was standing. My breath came in odd, halting gasps, as if I were hyperventilating. But I felt no light-headedness, only heightened anxiety that coursed through my body like electricity and captivated my mind.

“Whoa, Bella, hey.” Clyde rose and held out his arms towards me. I batted them away.

“My mom...oh god, my mom...how long have I been gone? She’s gonna find the car, and I’m not gonna be there, she’s gonna think I’m dead, what--”

“I mean, you are kinda dead,” Sammi said with a toss of her hair. The hair that so resembled Renée’s. My hands shook as I brought them to my face and pressed them to my temples. 

Clyde shot Sammi an exasperated look. “Not helping.”

“I have to go back, I have to let her know I’m okay, or as okay as whatever this is. Crap!” My nails dug into my head. 

Clyde reached for me again, and a terrible hiss escaped my mouth. The sound frightened me, and I buried my face in my hands, my hair falling forward like a curtain.

“You can’t go back, Bella,” said Clyde. “Even if you wanted to. You’d probably end up killing her.”

I choked out a sob.

“Nice,” commented Sammi sarcastically. “Anyways, Maria says our past is gone, and the only relationship we need is our loyalty to each other.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to forget your mom,” Clyde jumped in quickly. “You just gotta understand you’re in two different worlds now.”

“You have your new life. She’s part of the old one,” Julissa agreed, her voice ringing like bells. 

“I’m gonna approach you now, Bella. Is that okay?” Clyde asked. 

I wanted to tell him no, go away, leave me alone, but I couldn’t find the words. Hazy memories of Renée flitted through my mind. 

“I’m going to touch you now, Bella, okay? Don’t be afraid, I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m just gonna grab your hands, alright?” Clyde’s voice was calm and reassuring.

I felt the lightest of touches pry my fingers gently away from my face. Clyde curled his fingers around mine with a delicate squeeze. I flinched at the close contact, and his grip loosened immediately.

“I wasn’t too hard, was I? Sorry, I’m still working on moderating--”

“No,” I cut him off. “You’re fine, I just...” I expected a blush to color my face, but there was no such warmth in my new body. “Thank you.”

He grinned, and boyish charm lit up his face. 

“Wow, a thank you. You hear that, Sammi?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t go around expecting anything like that from me.” 

Clyde eased me back to sitting on the ground. The trio started a new conversation, Clyde teasing Sammi about her manners, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Renée. They said it was impossible for me to see her, and while they were probably right about the bloodlust, I couldn’t stand the thought that she was out there, somewhere, looking for me. I could picture her in my mind, her face blotchy from crying, putting up posters and wrangling her friends from the school and yoga studio into a search party. She’d probably even call my dad, Charlie, down from his Podunk town in Washington. He was a police chief, after all. He’d have experience with things like this. I bit back an anguished sigh. I’d forgotten about Charlie, too. 

I resolved, then and there, no matter what the others said, that I would see my parents again. Someday, I’d find my way back to them, let them know I was alright and that they didn’t have to worry. I knew I wasn’t ready now. There were too many unknowns. For the time being, I’d stick with the trio, and Joaquin-- _ugh--_ and Maria, until I felt I knew enough about myself and my new life that I wouldn’t be a danger to anybody. But I couldn’t just forget about my family. I wouldn’t. 

We talked all through the night, as the trio explained to me more about my new life. How I’d never sleep or grow tired, how unchanging I was. How my eyes were red, like theirs, but how that meant great strength and new speed. How Joaquin trained them to fight and Maria led them into battle with other vampires.

“We’ve only fought a couple of covens,” Clyde admitted. “And they were pretty small, like us. Nothing major. That’s why Maria keeps adding more, like you.”

As we spoke, the light changed in the dusty stable, night shifting to day. Every now and then, I was distracted by the shadows dancing on the stable floor, the beams of light peeking through holes in the roof and missing boards in the wall. The stalls had fallen to pieces, or had been removed I wasn’t exactly sure, so there was nothing to impede the emerging brightness. As more and more light crept into the stable, I found myself increasingly distracted. There was a scratchiness in my throat, like the beginning of a sore throat, which flared annoyingly every time I swallowed.

After spending several hours with the trio, I now realized the perfume-like scents I’d observed surrounding the stable were them. My mind picked apart each distinct strain, and I lost myself in the intricacies of each flavor, sniffing out the notes that defined them. Clyde was a cool, sea breeze that tickled your nose and made you dream of sun-warmed sand. Sammi was sharp, heady spice and citrus. Julissa reminded me of fresh berries, just picked and dolloped with cream. Their scents didn’t aggravate my throat, but turning my attention toward it brought new pain. I grimaced, and my mind jumped. 

There were new sounds that caught my attention. Birds flew overheard, their song high and delicate. Somewhere, on a distant road, a car engine rumbled. My throat was so dry. My thoughts wandered to what was outside the farm. Were there neighbors? Did they know what was going on? And damn, my throat _burned_!

Clyde was saying something to Sammi and Julissa, a joke, I think, that I was meant to be listening to, but I couldn’t concentrate. There was a new pressure around my neck, and I discovered that my hand had moved to caress the aching skin. My fingers absently stroked from my collarbone to my chin as thoughts whirled in my head. Clyde caught my eye, and his laughing smile turned pitying. 

“Bella?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know--” Pain strangled the rest of the words. “My throat really hurts.” My voice came out in a feeble whisper. 

“You’re getting thirsty,” Julissa said with a sympathetic nod of her head. 

The implications of that terrified me. “I don’t want to kill anybody!” 

Sammi rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna have to get over that.”

“There has to be another way, right? I’m not a murderer. What I did before--I didn’t know any better, it was a mistake, and not one I intend to make again--”

“Hey, hey,” Clyde cut my rambling off. “Look, I know you don’t want to kill, but Sammi’s right. You’re not human anymore so you’re gonna have to get over human feelings like that. Besides,” a smile crept across his pale lips, “you can’t deny how good humans smell and taste.” 

Fire blazed, and my hand tightened around my throat. There was a hiss to my right, and I noticed Sammi’s hand mirrored mine.

“Ugh, Clyde, why did you have to say that. Now I’m thirsty, too.” Sammi rubbed her neck, her tiny features scrunched up in discomfort.

“Just--try to focus on something else for a while, okay? Joaquin doesn’t let us feed until he’s happy with our training. You’ve gotta stay calm for a little while longer. Hey,” Clyde placed his hand atop my left hand, which was trembling in the dirt, quelling the shaking. “It’s alright. We’ll help you through this. Just listen to me, okay? Focus on my voice.”

So I did. Clyde told a story about some hazing prank from college, but I ignored his words and honed in on the rise and fall of his tone. The melodic wave of his voice was soothing, and if I focused solely on that, I could almost trick my mind into forgetting about the burn in my throat. Almost. 

The sun rose further in the sky as Clyde talked, warming the air around me. It was amazingly pleasant, and I closed my eyes to savor the sensation. I had the oddest urge to stretch like a cat in my patch of sunlight. When I opened my eyes, I gave a yelp and threw myself against the nearest wall. 

“Bella? Bella, it’s okay.” Clyde was back on his feet, arms extended toward me. 

“What was that...my skin...” I sputtered, my hands running over my arms where only moments ago I could’ve sworn I’d seen startling, unnatural light.

“Yeah, vamp thing. Our skin is super hard, but direct sunlight makes it go all crazy shiny. That’s why Joaquin has us stay inside during the day. No one can see us like this.” Clyde moved his fingers into a shaft of light, and I watched, mesmerized, as sunlight glinted off his fingers and shattered against the stable walls.

“It doesn’t hurt. Totally safe. Just a little bizarre.” 

He beckoned me forward, and I stretched out my arm to place my hand in his, gasping at the new warmth in his fingertips. Like a prism, my hand shone and refracted light. My head whipped back and forth to see all the new colors surrounding me as I wiggled my fingers.

“Very pretty,” Joaquin murmured from behind me. 

I turned around to see him leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest in a relaxed manner. I’d been so distracted by the light sparkling on my skin, I hadn’t heard him come in. Joaquin eyed me approvingly, with a smile that raised the hair on the back of my neck. 

“I trust you have explained things to our new recruit?” 

The trio nodded.

“Good. It’s time for training.”


	3. Training

“Up against the wall,” Joaquin barked, shutting the door behind him.

Clyde, Julissa, and Sammi instantly straightened and moved to stand by the dusty boards. There was no hesitation from them in their movement. I, on the other hand, did not react quite so quickly, and rushed to join them. Joaquin strode confidently into the middle of the room, straw crunching under his black boots. He raked his eyes over us, focusing on me for several extra milliseconds. The edges of his lips curled into a devilish smile.

“We have so much to teach our new recruit. Clyde, Julissa, to the center,  _ven al centro.”_

They marched forward and took their place in front of Joaquin. 

“Attack stance, _postura de ataque.”_

The two of them shifted into crouches, one foot slightly ahead of the other. Their knees were bent, heads inclined towards each other. Julissa’s hands were splayed, sunlight glinting off her sharp fingernails. There were several feet between the two, but it seemed to me that they were only inches away from charging the other. Joaquin walked around the two in a circle, pointing out details for me to observe.

“Notice the positioning of the feet. Keep your balance, your weight evenly displaced. Always ready to shift.” 

Joaquin repeated his phrases in Spanish, and I noticed my mind start to connect the two languages. Joaquin stopped by Clyde, and placed his hand on Clyde’s shoulder. 

“When I give the command, you will show Bella how to hold your opponent.” Joaquin turned his head to address me. “You have great strength being so young, surpassed by few. But you must learn to use it to your advantage. Always encircle your opponent fully. You mustn’t allow escape. Clyde, go.”

Clyde sprinted forward, and wrapped his arms around Julissa’s middle. She snarled and beat at his back with her fists, but he held fast, the muscles in his arms bulging as he attempted to keep Julissa constrained. 

“To the ground,” Joaquin directed.

Clyde spun Julissa around in his arms, and then, before she could recover, wrestled her to the dirt floor. The ground shook with the force of their impact, and dust billowed up around them. Clyde covered Julissa’s lithe body with his own, and grasped her wrists, his hands like manacles, to keep her pinned. Julissa wriggled beneath him, her legs kicking wildly. Her feet connected, and Julissa managed to momentarily throw Clyde off.His arms were back around her in a second, pressing her to the floor once more. 

“I submit,” Julissa choked out. Clyde released her immediately, and held out his hand to help her up. I took note of the phrase. 

Joaquin ambled over to the pair, his eyes narrowed. Clyde ducked his head as Joaquin glowered at him.

“Next time, you keep her down. More force. Julissa, your turn.” 

I chewed on my lip. I knew Julissa was strong--we all were--but she was smaller than Clyde and some part of me wondered if she could in fact take him down. 

I shouldn’t have doubted. Julissa lunged, throwing herself at Clyde, her arms encircling him and forcing his body down into the ground in one graceful movement. I watched, eyes wide, as she pressed her knee into his lower back and dug her nails into his shoulders. Julissa hissed, baring her teeth as she angled her head towards Clyde’s neck.

“I submit!” Clyde cried out. 

“Right,” said Joaquin, turning to face Sammi and I as Julissa released her hold on Clyde. “Pair off and hold your opponent. Clyde, continue with Julissa. Sammi with Bella.” 

His burgundy eyes wandered over to me and he heaved a sigh. “It’s so sad that our numbers are even now.” He took a slight step toward me, grinning with all of his teeth. “I won’t get to partner up with you as much anymore.”

My skin crawled with the attention.

Joaquin wandered around the stable as we faced off, occasionally calling out commands or observations. I expected some of my human clumsiness to have remained but, true to Sammi’s word, all my movements were sharp and sinuous. When I held Sammi down to the ground, energy thrummed inside of me. I never felt so powerful.

It was awe-inspiring. It was frightening. I felt out of place in my body, unaccustomed to the way it moved before I thought, and dodged Sammi’s attacks with uncanny swiftness. 

The demonstrations continued for hours, Joaquin using the trio to illustrate some move and then having us practice it with each other. It wasn’t physically exhausting, but draining somehow. It was hard to keep my mind entirely focused on the instructed exercises, especially when deeper instincts compelled me to do otherwise. At one point, Sammi held me down flat on the ground, her knees on either side of me and her body weight crushing. She leaned down to press my hair into the dirt, and I whipped my head to snap at her hand. She yelped as my teeth made contact, and tore at my cheek with her nails. Joaquin darted over, and harshly commanded for Sammi to stop. Her attacks ceased, but she continued to straddle me, her weight holding me down. Joaquin crouched next to me, grabbing my chin with his long fingers.

“No teeth. Not unless I say you can.” His grip on my face tightened. “Understand, _querida_?”

I tried to nod, but his hand held me firm.

“Say it to me.”

I gritted my teeth. “I understand.”

He ordered Sammi off of me then, and I jumped up, brushing the dirt and straw off my body. Sammi sucked on her hand, glaring at me. 

“Switch,” Joaquin shouted. “Bella with Clyde. Julissa with Sammi.” 

And so it continued, Attack, defend, hold, submit, switch. Repeat. I kept expecting to feel some sort of ache or soreness, but all I felt was the ever-growing heat and scratchiness in my throat. It distracted me, and many times Clyde was able to pin me with very little effort. After a while, I could tell his mind was starting to wander as well. His lunges were half-hearted, his holds on me less secure. On the other side of the barn, Julissa and Sammi’s growls and snarls grew louder by the minute. Joaquin seemed to perceive the change in us as well, for he snapped his fingers and brought us to order.

“Enough. Back against the wall.”

Once we had returned to our earlier spots, Joaquin spoke again. 

“It is nearly dark. I suppose you have done well enough to earn a meal.”

Hisses of excitement broke out among the trio. I tried to hold back my desire, but the idea of getting something to calm the fire in my throat was _so_ appealing...

“But first,” Joaquin said, holding up a hand to quiet us, “there’s one more lesson I have to teach our new recruit. Come forward, Bella,” Joaquin commanded, a devious twinkle in his eye.

I took a step towards Joaquin, as the trio shrunk against the wall.

“You have to be prepared for battle. You can not lose focus because of a silly thing like pain. You must acclimate yourself to the sensation.”Joaquin grabbed my forearm, and I spotted the trio wince in response. Clyde looked away. 

Joaquin dug his nails into my arm, and then with lightning-fast speed, lunged forward and sunk his teeth into my arm, tearing it off just below my shoulder with a metallic screech. I howled in pain, my skin stinging. Joaquin tossed my arm behind him. I felt it land, and my mind was split between the smarting wound and my dismembered limb, which I could still feel, crawling in the dirt. I watched in horror as my arm began to move, angling itself to return to me.

“Fix her up,” Joaquin barked at the trio. 

The three of them ran forward. Clyde picked up my sentient arm and brought it to me. He spat on the end of it, then lifted it to reconnect it with my shoulder. His eyes were apologetic. 

“This is gonna hurt, I’m sorry.”

Clyde pressed my arm back into place, and I hissed as it reconnected. It was an uncomfortable sensation, like thousands of minuscule, burning needles pricking my skin. Clyde spit on my arm again, and rubbed it in to the spot Joaquin had bitten. For a moment, the stinging pain was worse, but then it ebbed into numbness. A second later, that had faded away as well and my arm felt normal again. I flexed my fingers and rolled my shoulders back, testing out my reattached limb.

“Better?” Clyde asked.

“Yeah.” I trailed my fingers over the skin, noticing a raised crescent scar, like all the rest had. 

“What did you do?”

“Sorry, that was probably gross, but our venom helps us heal. Leaves a scar, though, only thing that can.”

“Hope you didn’t have dreams of swimsuit modeling...” Sammi muttered.

“It stung.”

“It will always sting, _querida_ ,” Joaquin said with a grin. “You must embrace the pain. Push through it. You can fight without an arm, but never without your head.” 

Joaquin crossed over to the stable door and opened it, beckoning us with his hand. “Follow me.”

Like before, there was no hesitation among the trio, and I scrambled to catch up to them as they raced out of the stable. Joaquin led us along a trail heavily laden with scents of him and the trio. The sun had just set, and we ran under a lavender sky towards the shed Maria had brought me to before. I steeled myself for what was about to happen, as fire blazed in my throat and predatory instincts began to rise. 

Joaquin threw open the door to the shed, and revealed four humans, one for each of us. A growl rumbled in my chest as my eyes swept over the group. I zeroed in on a woman curled up in a multicolored shawl. Her heart was beating erratically, and the sound was enticing. Her fear permeated the air, and made her smell all the more delectable. I leapt at her, but was knocked aside with a thunderous crash. Sammi had collided with me, pushing me out of the way so she could feast on the woman in the shawl. Fury rose in me. That was _my_ prey.

I shot towards Sammi, intent on wrestling the woman away from her, but she shoved me and I fell, rolling in the dirt. I bumped into Julissa, who was in the midst of feeding on a teenage boy with curly black hair. She hissed at me, and cast me aside with a resounding slap. I scurried away, defeated and thirsty, and spotted the final human, a man with salt and pepper hair cowering in the corner. I pounced on him, crushing his body to mine possessively as I sunk my teeth into his neck with relish. _Finally_. Heat and joy and satisfaction rushed through me as I drowned in the luscious flavor. 

I finished before the others, and I shuddered as the feeding frenzy dissipated and I could take in the carnage before me.

Sammi had broken the woman’s arm. It was bent at an odd angle. Her intricate shawl was torn and covered in blood. Julissa had near ripped the boy’s head off with the force of her bite. Muscle and tendons and even bits of bone spilled out of the ragged gash. Even Clyde, who had treated me with such kindness since my arrival, had shown no mercy to his victim, a pretty young woman with chestnut hair. Her throat was nothing more than ribbons, and clumps of her hair were strewn around her body. Some strands were still grasped in Clyde’s fists.

They were all so severe. I turned my attention to the dead man in my arms. His ribs had cracked from the pressure of my embrace and I hadn’t even noticed. It terrified me to recognize I was just as severe as them. I laid the man on the ground, closing his eyelids. The least I could do was show remorse, which was more than I saw the rest of my cohort doing. I knew I was savage, but I at least could try to atone for my behavior afterwards. 

Sammi removed the shawl from the woman and began to undo the buttons of her blouse.

“What are you doing?” I asked in horror.

“What?” Sammi shrugged. “Green’s my favorite color.”

She discarded her shirt, and slid the green blouse over her body. The fabric shimmered in emerald waves as it settled on Sammi’s frame. Sammi eyed my tattered blue tank with derision. 

“Maybe you should change, too.” 

I folded my arms in front of me protectively. The thought of stealing a dead person’s clothes, especially a person we had just _murdered_ , was sickening. 

“Finish up,” Joaquin commanded. “It’s time to return.”

Julissa removed the teenage boy’s denim jeans and held them up to her waist. She walked over to the body in front of me and unfastened the man’s belt, sliding the leather out of the pant loops. Julissa shot me a bemused look as she noted the man’s closed eyes.

We followed Joaquin back to the stable. The stars had started to come out while we were in the shed, sprinkling the night sky with flickering light. 

“You are to remain here,” Joaquin said as we filed into the stable. “I will return later for training.” 

Joaquin looked me over with cautious eyes. “I can not make you stay in here, like the others.” He glanced at the trio pointedly. “Do not let her leave.”

I huffed under my breath as questions swirled in my mind. If I was ever to leave this place, I’d have to escape Joaquin and his binding words. They didn’t seem to affect me, but I saw how powerful his sway was over the others. If he told them to prevent me from leaving, they would. I chewed on my lip, pondering the problem. I couldn’t fight all three of them, not when I was still learning to fight myself. I had managed to pin Sammi now and then during training, but she bested me more often than not. If I couldn’t subdue one vampire, how would I ever manage three? 

“Bella? We’re gonna play Concentration. You wanna join?” Clyde asked, jostling me from my thoughts.

“No, I’m okay for now.” I scanned the desolate stable. “There aren’t any...books or anything here, are there?”

Sammi snorted. “Fresh out.”

I returned to my musing as the trio started their game, calling out different types of animals amidst the hand clapping rhythm. How was I going to manage fleeing the trio if Joaquin’s wordsmade them dedicated captors? I’d have to become a better fighter if I wanted to desert this place, I concluded. A perfect little soldier, just like Maria wanted. The idea disgusted me, but it was the only way to escape and find my way home.

My thoughts wandered to Renée and Charlie. I wondered what they were up to, whether they were searching for me or simply waiting by the phone for updates that would never come. I wondered if Charlie was with Renée, or if he was sitting at the kitchen table in Forks, alone, surrounded by sunshine cabinets at odds with his mood. Who would be there to take care of him? I knew Renée had Phil and her colleagues at the school. I couldn’t remember any of Charlie’s friends. My forehead scrunched as I parsed through muddy memories of the town I’d been born in, searching for someone I knew cared for my dad. 

Joaquin returned around midday, when the sun was high above the stable and the four of us sat glittering like giant disco balls. He had us review the holds from yesterday for several hours, then called Sammi and Julissa to the center of the stable. 

“Do not waste your time with unnecessary attacks,” Joaquin began as he paced around the girls with measured steps. 

“Subdue your opponent as quickly as possible. Tear a limb if you must, and always aim for the dominant hand if you do so, but focus your energy on the head. That is where victory lies.”

He had Julissa and Sammi show a series of neck grabs and chokeholds on each other, before sending Sammi back to practice with me with a warning.

“Mind your strength, not too hard. Only grabs, no slices, no teeth. We don’t want heads rolling today.” 

Joaquin chuckled as Sammi hoisted me into the air, her unyielding fingers secure around my throat. I couldn’t breathe, but the lack of oxygen was of no concern to my new body. It was uncomfortable, and I felt instantly lost without my awareness of the scents in the stable. I clawed at Sammi’s hand and kicked at her, but she held me a distance away from her body and my legs found nothing but air. I tapped out the rhythm Joaquin had instructed we use for capitulation, and Sammi dropped me onto the ground. 

“Good,” Joaquin snickered. 

How I wanted to wrap my hands around _his_ neck.

It went on for weeks. Train, fight, feed. There were days when Joaquin wasn’t pleased with our progress, and withheld blood. Those were bad nights, filled with intolerable pain and pitiful howling. The thirst penetrated my whole body, and I clawed my skin for release. Even Clyde, the calmest of us, would grow agitated, snapping his teeth at anyone who came near him as he rocked back and forth. Joaquin couldn’t keep me in the stable with his words like he could the others, but he kept guard. One of the early nights when we were denied a meal, I rammed the door in incessant need to get to the shed where I knew the humans were kept. Joaquin was there, prepared, and beat me into the ground. He tore my right arm off, and kept it with him for the rest of the night until he returned for training the next day.

But every day, no matter what had happened, now matter how overwhelming the thirst became, I thought about my parents. I lost myself in elaborate daydreams. Sometimes, I dreamed of what my life would’ve been if I hadn’t gone to the Safeway that night. I imagined cooking with Renée, talking her out of her outlandish ideas. In my daydreams, I indulged every one of Renée’s fancies, and imaginary me became an expert in knitting, calligraphy, and Irish dancing. Never anything violent. I saw myself doing the most mundane things; going to school, doing laundry, reading a book. Simple pleasures that were denied to me now. Though I remembered hating Forks, in my daydreams, no such animosity existed. Instead, I imagined the cool, briny air, the canopy of mature trees, an atmosphere so antithetical to my current life, and felt nothing but serenity. I envisioned myself and Charlie, sitting together in comfortable silence, just enjoying the other’s presence. I even had daydreams of fishing.

Other times, I fantasized about my great escape. I didn’t like to think about overpowering the trio, as they were the closest thing I had to friends, but I knew they were my biggest obstacle. I focused myself on scrutinizing them during training, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, analyzing their patterns and proclivities. Sammi favored attacks from her right. Julissa enjoyed using her fingernails, and her center of gravity was low. Clyde, I discovered, never seemed to use his full strength when sparring with us. He’d grow more forceful when Joaquin ordered him, but otherwise his first moves were always restrained. That was something I could exploit, I noted with chagrin.

I did indulge myself in envisioning the myriad of ways I would defeat Joaquin. Clyde always asked me what was so funny every time I snickered to myself, or a smug grin spread across my lips. I would merely shake my head and return my thoughts to ripping Joaquin limb from limb.

Barely three weeks after my change, I witnessed battle. 

Maria had shown up, unannounced, one afternoon in the middle of training. I hadn’t seen her since the first night when I woke up. Judging by the looks on the trio’s faces, I gathered her appearance was not a common occurrence.

“There are trespassers on our territory,” she spoke in an even tone. “I have witnessed them, feeding in the human neighborhood on our eastern border.”

A chorus of angry hisses and disgruntled growls. Maria raised her voice as she cast piercing looks in our direction.

“Will we let these villains glut themselves on our hard-earned property? Will we allow them to continue stealing what is ours?”

“Never!” Sammi snarled. Julissa stood next to Sammi, shaking her head fiercely. 

“Tonight,” Maria exclaimed, “we will defend our bloodfields! We will decimate these invaders!”

A roaring cheer went up among us. Even I joined in, well aware of the part I had to play. Maria smiled at us, satisfied with our exuberance. She assumed leadership of our training for the next several hours, focusing on dismemberment and strategy. 

“I will light the first fire,” Maria explained. “That will be the sign for you to finish our enemies.”

Maria walked up to me, her gait so smooth she appeared to be gliding, and tossed a hair tie at me. 

“Here,” she sniffed. “Pull your hair back.”

Clouds rolled in as the sun began to set. The sky became a dreary gray, painted with streaks of silver and ash. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and electricity crackled in the air. There was a storm somewhere in the vicinity. Maria raised her delicate nose to the air and smiled.

“The time is upon us. We fight, and then we feed!”

We followed Maria as she led us out of the stable. Light rain began to fall as we left the farm. I couldn’t smell anything amiss, only our own scents, but the further Maria led us away from the farm, the more I began to perceive. There was a faint trail of several cloying scents, similar to our own. I was able to parse out three unique essences, and perhaps a fourth but I couldn’t be sure. The scents were old and decayed, and the burgeoning rainfall was wiping away what little was left. Maria held up a hand to stop us as we approached a barren field. Lights from a row of houses glimmered in the distance. 

“There,” she whispered as she eyed the houses. “The enemy coven has attempted to lay claim to these mortals. They want to drain us of our supply, within our own boundaries! Joaquin, draw them out.”

Joaquin gave a sharp nod, then darted towards the houses. 

“You four, spread out. We want a strong display for our enemies,” Maria ordered, before slinkingoff to the side of the field. She turned her attention back towards the houses. 

We watched diligently, anticipation pulsing in our bodies. Sammi was a ball of energy, practically vibrating with excitement. I was not quite so exhilarated at the thought of battle. I was apprehensive about meeting others of our kind, let alone fighting them. What if I wasn’t ready? What if I died here? Then all my plans for escape and hopes of seeing my parents again would be for naught. Clyde glanced over at me with a shaky smile. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” he mouthed. I smiled weakly in response, but relaxed and refocused my attention towards the human neighborhood.

Blurry shapes by the houses became distinct figures. I could see three tall people, and a fourth smaller one running towards us. A fifth shape, which I assumed was Joaquin, lingered behind them. The closer they came, the more details I was able to see. The three tall people were two men and a woman, all with jet-black hair. The men’s hair flowed down to their shoulders, while the woman’s hair fell in buoyant curls to her waist. The fourth, tinier member of their coven was a boy, seemingly no older than myself. He alone shared the bright red eyes of myself and the trio. The adults all had the dark burgundy of Maria and Joaquin. Confusion colored their pale faces as they approached us. The woman in particular was nervous. She kept glancing to the boy and then to the man at her right. Something churned in my stomach as I took in their intertwined hands. 

The four of them ground to an abrupt halt several yards away from us. They flinched as our scars shimmered in the moonlight. The boy began to growl, but the woman hushed him. The man who was not holding hands with the woman stepped forward.

“We mean no offense,” he called in a booming voice. 

“Lies,” Maria hissed. “See! They have a newborn, to match our strength! They changed him to boost their numbers so they can face us! They mean to fight us for this blood!”

“That’s not true!” the woman gasped. “He’s a newborn, yes, but we’re not here to challenge you! We weren’t even aware of conflict in this area!”

“More lies!” Maria exclaimed. “War covers this world! You either fight, or you die!”

Maria reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a lighter. She lit it and tossed it several feet away with a snap of her wrist. A pile of logs burst into flames, wisps of fire spiraling high into the sky. I was surprised the wood lit in the drizzle, but then the wind shifted and I smelled the gasoline. Maria must’ve come here in advance, I ascertained.

Joaquin made the first strike as the fire blazed, dealing a deft blow to the boy’s neck from behind. He fell to his knees with a cry, and the woman rushed to assist him. Sammi and Julissa had shot forward as soon as the flames ignited. They grabbed the woman, crushing her between them. The woman began to cry out, but her voice was cut short as Joaquin leaned in with his teeth. He tore at the woman’s neck, and her head fell to the ground, mouth still open in a silent scream. 

My feet carried me towards the action as all previous hesitation disappeared. Instinct took over and my training from the past few weeks kicked in. I leapt at the man racing forward to rescue the woman. He was sobbing her name--Katerina--and reaching out for her head with trembling fingers. I landed on the man’s back, locking my legs around his waist. My hands went to the man’s neck, twisting until it snapped. My ears rung with the grating sound. Clyde caught the head before it hit the ground, and ran towards the fire. The second man chased him, snarling madly, but Clyde was faster. Clyde threw the head into the fire, and the flames crackled and spurted. The smoke changed to an aberrant purple color, and the air became nauseatingly saccharine. I removed myself from the headless body as it sunk to the ground. Maria had instructed us to leave nothing of the bodies, no chance that our rivals would rise again. I began to wrench the arms away from the torso. 

Pain flared above my ankle. The boy had slunk away from Joaquin, and his teeth were buried in my calf. He shook his head from side to side, tearing the skin roughly. He was going to rip my foot off! I shrieked and kicked at the boy, but his grip didn’t falter. All I could focus on was the agony in my leg and getting it to stop. My mind flashed to Joaquim’s bite several weeks earlier, and my anguish turned to rage. I bent over, and wrapped my fingers around the boy’s neck in a vice-like grip--just as Sammi had done to me--and pulled him off of my leg with all my strength. Luckily, none of my leg came off in the boy’s mouth. I held him high above me, clenching my teeth as my calf prickled. I reached out with my other hand, securing my chokehold. The boy struggled, but I bared my teeth, brought him back close to me, and ended his life in an instant. 

Perhaps Joaquin had taught me something after all.

I tossed the boy’s head and body into the purple flames, wrinkling my nose at the smell. Clyde and Julissa were dismembering the remaining bodies--they had defeated the other man while I was dealing with the boy--and Sammi chucked the pieces into the bonfire. Joaquin ran around the field, picking up discarded pieces of skin and hair. Maria gazed at us with a satisfied smile. She stood at the same spot where she had thrown the lighter. Her clothes were clean. I don’t think she moved an inch throughout the skirmish. 

We had the won the battle. I was relieved that we were all alive and--I grimaced at the stinging in my leg--relatively unscathed. No one else appeared to have gained new scars. I felt a strange sense of pride as I watched the purple flames twist and turn. I had fought other vampires and survived. Even another newborn! Escape _was_ possible.

Maria sauntered over to us as Joaquin dumped the remains he had gathered into the fire. 

“You have done well,” she crooned. “You have shown that these lands are defended, and that we will not tolerate thievery. You shall be treated to a generous reward.” 

There was a rumbling of growls as Maria led us towards the human neighborhood. It was a small grouping of houses, only four sprawled out in a line across from piles of dirt and lumber. A new development.

“Whoever you find is yours,” Maria purred. “Eat well, my little soldiers.” 

Lightning flashed and we charged the neighborhood. Sammi rushed into a yellow house with grand arches, as Julissa set her sights on the burnt orange home with maroon tiles next door. Joaquin ran into the brown house closest to the main road, which I had been focused on. I hesitated, dirt billowing up around me as I halted and changed direction. Thirsty as I was, I didn’t relish the idea of feeding in the same house as him. Clyde ran past me, motioning me over with his hand.

“C’mon!” Clyde called with exhilaration.

I stuck with Clyde as we burst into the house on the end, a modern building with a crisp, white exterior. Understanding passed between us as we eyed the grand staircase. Clyde bounded the stairs as I rounded the corner, following my nose to the bleary-eyed couple in the main floor bedroom. 

I relaxed into the plush bed, my head leaning back against the headboard as I released a contented sigh. I basked in the euphoria for a moment, taking pleasure in the coolness of my throat and the rare solitude. I hadn’t had this much time and space to myself since I had woken up in the barn. There was a rustling upstairs, and then I heard Clyde’s footsteps on the staircase. I drew back the sheets, covering the couple, as Clyde entered the room.

“Hey,” he said, holding up a handful of clothes. “The daughter seemed about your size. Wanna try these on? They’re from her closet,” he added as I shrunk back.

I glanced down at my well-worn clothes. I had begrudgingly discarded my blue tank last week, after Sammi had raked her nails down the front of it in training, effectively rendering me half-naked in front of Joaquin’s lecherous leer. I had quickly grabbed the first piece of clothing I could find; a baggy flannel shirt from the post-training feed. But my jeans now had a terrible gash from where the boy had snapped at me. 

“Thanks,” I said as I crawled off the bed. 

I grabbed the clothing from Clyde. He’d found a pair of dark wash jeans and a casual brown t-shirt with lace detailing on the sleeves and collar. I smiled at him gratefully, and he sheepishly turned around, and began to head out of the room to give me privacy. I started to change, but then spotted the half-open door to the master bath. I peered inside, eying the glass shower with envy.

“Think I have time for a shower?” I asked.

“Uh,” Clyde responded, “We should probably we get back before Maria comes looking for us.”

“Oh.” I shuddered to think of Maria barging into the house and dragging me out of the shower by my hair. “Good point.”

I hurriedly dressed myself, taking care to moderate my strength so I wouldn’t rip the fabric, and deposited my old clothes in a hamper. I exited the room and joined up with Clyde. His eyes scanned over my new outfit, and his lips curled up into an admiring smile.

“Looks good.”

I ducked my head, still expecting the rush of warmth in my cheeks. “Thanks.”

We made our way down the hallway and I averted my eyes from the wall, wary of any family photos. Something caught my eye as we passed the living room and I paused.

“Bella?”

“Just a second.” 

I walked into the living room, my fingers trailing across the mahogany bookcase. It was half filled with books, half filled with various knickknacks and collectibles. I quickly perused the bookcase, looking for a familiar title. Everything was in Spanish, but that wasn’t such a problem nowadays. Every day I understood more of the language. Maybe Julissa would appreciate the reading material as well. I selected the first few novels that jumped out at me, tucked the books under my arm, and hurried to the front door where Clyde was waiting for me. 

The others were already outside by the time we emerged. Julissa and Sammi had changed as well, and were fussing with their new outfits. Sammi had exchanged the green blouse for a gray tank made of shimmering fabric and a black leather jacket, while Julissa had on a vibrant floral top and new black jeans. Joaquin and Maria were conversing further down the street in front of the brown house. They looked up as we stepped out into the street. 

“Take them back,” Maria commanded. “I’ll take care of this.”

Joaquin nodded. “Right, back to base everyone. We’ve had a great victory tonight, but tomorrow we resume training. We mustn’t let ourselves become complacent. That is the surest way to court defeat.”

I glanced over my shoulder as we ran back to the farm. Maria was darting around the houses, though I couldn’t quite make out what she was doing. I watched her scurry away, and then, a moment later, an explosion rocked the neighborhood. There was a thunderous roar as the houses burst into flames. Vivid orange illuminated the onyx sky as heat washed over us in an enveloping wave. 

“Pay it no mind,” Joaquin instructed. “It’s just the clean up.”

I clutched the books closer to myself the whole journey back.

Joaquin deposited us in the stable, with the usual directives towards the trio to keep me imprisoned. I found a corner of the stable that was relatively untouched, with a still partially standing stall, and carved out a small ditch. I lined the hole with straw, and placed two of the books inside. I grabbed a few more handfuls of straw and scattered them atop my books until they were completely covered. 

I held onto one of the books, a Spanish translation of _Little Women_. I’d read the novel in English many times before, and hoped my fuzzy human memories would be enough to assist in translation. I looked over to where the trio was seated. Clyde and Sammi were deep in discussion about the battle, and Julissa was braiding strands of cloth. Ribbons she’d made from her old shirt, I recognized. I slid gracefully to the ground next to her.

“I brought this back,” I said softly, holding out _Little Women._ “And others, too, if you want something else...”

Julissa glanced at the book in my hands, and then up at my face. She seemed slightly taken aback, but quickly composed herself. 

“Thank you,” she replied with a gentle smile. “Maybe later.”

She returned to her braiding. I turned to my book and opened the cover. I was a little too eager and the cover split in half.

“Crap,” I muttered. Books were _so_ delicate. I reached out with a feather-light touch, handling the pages as if they would crumple to dust beneath my fingertips. 

Out of the blue, a hellish scream filled the air. I jumped up in surprise, my book clattering to the ground. I was used to hearing screams now and then--the humans cried all the time--but this scream was different. It was harsher, more agonizing, and continued far longer than the humans usually wailed. I cocked my head and listened closely. The dreadful noise was coming from the barn where I had woken up. 

“What is that?” I asked, my brow furrowing as I noticed that no one else seemed put on edge by the sound. 

“New recruit,” Sammi muttered absently, as she drew designs in the dirt with her fingernails. “Maria must’ve found someone we missed.”

My silent heart lurched.

_A new recruit._

I adjusted my escape plan. Four newborns to defeat.


	4. Dyin' Ain't So Bad

Training was difficult with the cacophony of screaming in the background. 

“An immersive training experience,” Joaquin had called it after Julissa’s teeth grazed my neck for the third time. “The battlefield is filled with extraneous sound. You must be able to keep your focus.”

But with every shriek and wail, my head snapped towards the barn. It was supremely distracting. 

“Pitiful,” Joaquin spat as Sammi knocked me to the floor. She ground her heel into my chest, coating me with dirt and grime. Great. So much for my new shirt.

“Let’s hope our new recruit can handle herself better than you can, _querida._ ”

I grumbled as Sammi removed her foot. I sat up, dusting as much of the filth off my top as I could. 

I was granted a small mercy, as Joaquin ended training early and allowed us to feed. He returned us to the stable and informed us that there would be no training tomorrow as he had to run an errand for Maria. Gathering more humans for us and the new recruit, I figured. Either way, a break from Joaquin seemed to be the greatest gift I’d ever received. I celebrated the respite from fighting, grabbing Clyde by the hands with glee and dancing all night, abandoning my human hangups with the art. Dancing was less embarrassing when you didn’t trip over your own feet or step on others. But as the morning came and the day dragged on, I found myself just as unhappy as I’d been earlier. I tried to read, but my mind couldn’t focus on the words with the constant barrage of screaming. I was feeling antsy, my skin crawling with anxiety about the newborn, but pacing around the stable didn’t alleviate any of my stress. If anything, I seemed to exasperate the trio more. Sammi rolled her eyes every time I walked past her. I attempted to busy myself with any sort of activity, but no matter what I tried, I couldn’t tear my mind away from the screaming in the barn. 

“How much longer,” I groaned, collapsing onto the ground and dropping my head into my hands, my ears ringing from the shrill sound. 

“Not too long now,” said Clyde. “Change usually takes about three days, and the new recruit’s been under two and a half days now.”

“I don’t think I can take much more of this.” I bemoaned, tangling my hands in my hair. 

“Why are you whining so much, you were just as loud,” Sammi muttered. She was laying on her back in a pile of straw, tossing a brick she’d dug up in the air. Bits of it crumbled every time it landed in her open hand.

“Well, I apologize cause this is _torturous_.” 

I walked over to my corner and unearthed my book, hoping my second chance at distraction would prove more fruitful. But though I did my best to focus on _Little Women_ , to center all my mental energy on working through the translation, it was just the same as before. My mind kept getting pulled towards the barn. I pushed myself to finish the chapter, then put the book back in my little nook with an exasperated huff. I returned to wandering around the stable aimlessly. Sammi watched me meander with narrowed eyes.

“God, you’re so weak. Everything bothers you. Just give it a rest.” 

“I don’t know how nothing bothers _you_ ,” I retorted. 

“Actually, _you!”_ Sammi jumped to her feet with a snarl. “ _You_ , bother me! _You_ , with your long hair and your holier-than-thou attitude and your stupid insistence on clinging to humanity. You think you’ve got everyone wrapped around your perfect little finger, but wake up _querida_ ,” she mocked, “you’re not special. You’re just another bloodthirsty soldier. _Replaceable.”_

Sammi launched herself at me with a roar. I ducked out of her line of attack, and Sammi landed on all fours, spinning around to growl at me. My body responded to the taunt, crouching before I made the conscious decision to fight. Sammi charged me, but I thrust my arm out to block her. I cast her aside, and she flew across the stable. She fell to the ground and rolled to a stop by the stable door. 

“Guys, watch it!” Clyde shouted. “You’re gonna bring down the stable!”

Sammi scrambled to her feet and charged at me again, snapping her teeth wildly. But I was prepared for her. I saw the direction she was heading, and--annoyed as I was--I had enough presence of mind to remember what I had observed about Sammi. 

She always attacked from her right.

Sammi lunged for my left arm, but I anticipated her attack, and as soon as her fingers encircled my wrist, I secured my hand on top of hers and swung her arm backwards, twisting it and forcing Sammi to bend over. My other hand gripped Sammi’s wrist tightly, applying more pressure till she fell to her knees. I stomped on her back, pushing her into the ground. She was yelling curses and abuse beneath me, squirming and writhing in fruitless attempts to escape my hold. Her insults were infuriating, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking advantage of her weakness to tear her arm off. I tossed it away, noting absently that Julissa caught the limb. I removed my foot from Sammi’s back to give her a firm kick in the side, and she curled into herself, whimpering. 

“Okay, okay, enough!” Clyde bellowed. He stood between Sammi and I with arms outstretched. Julissa hurried over with the limb and nudged Sammi to a seating position so she could attach it. 

This was the perfect moment, I realized with a start. Joaquin was gone. I’d beaten Sammi. It wouldn’t take much for me to escape. I probably wouldn’t even have to fight Clyde and Julissa, if I ran right now-

Of course, that was the exact point when the new recruit’s screams reached an ear-piercing pitch, and then suddenly quieted. 

Silence fell among us as well. We all cocked our heads, attention drawn to the abruptly tranquil barn. 

“Guess they’re up,” Clyde commented dryly.

_Damn._

The atmosphere was tense as we waited for Joaquin to bring the new recruit. Sammi was sitting as far away from me as possible in the stable, withdrawn and uncharacteristically taciturn. Julissa had finished braiding her cloth ribbons into an intricate pattern. She laid the plait on her wrist, measuring it, then held it out to Sammi. The brunette gave a near imperceptible shake of her head. Julissa shrugged and tied the bracelet around her wrist, using her teeth to snip the ends. 

As the sound of footsteps drew nearer--two sets, one lighter than the other--we all rose to our feet. The stable door swung open.

“This is Teresa,” Joaquin said as he shoved the woman into the stable. I flinched at the sudden  déjà  vu. “ Answer her questions. No one leaves. Keep Bella here. I’ll be back later for training.”

As soon as Teresa entered the stable, I instinctually reacted, shifting into a defensive crouch at the first sight of her. _Startling crimson eyes_ , a primal part of me whispered. _Strong, young, dangerous._

Teresa had moved into a protective stance as well, much like I had that first night. I watched her take in our eyes and scars with visible panic. Her crouch was also unbalanced, I noticed, weight leaning to her right. Was that what I looked like when I first arrived? She seemed to be more a tottering baby lamb than a vicious opponent. There was no reason to be scared of her. I suppressed my instincts, regaining control of my body to stand calmly. Clyde had recovered as well, and was reassuring Sammi and Julissa, just as he had done before. It was surreal.

Teresa wasn’t relaxing. Her eyes rapidly shifted between the four of us. She seemed unaware of the persistent growl emitting from her chest.

“ _¿_ _Qué es esto?”_ Teresa demanded, a tremble in her voice. 

Julissa blinked in surprise, and then stepped forward with exuberance. She began trilling in Spanish, gesturing to the rest of us now and then. I was thankful for my recent study of _Little Women_. 

Teresa was not receptive to Julissa’s explanation. I watched her raise a shaky hand to cross herself, and then clutch the simple wooden rosary that hung around her neck. It cracked beneath her fingers, but Teresa didn’t seem aware of the damage.

“ _No, no, no..”_ she kept repeating.

Julissa sighed, and tried a new line of conversation, but it didn’t pacify Teresa. I felt for her. She was a beautiful woman, with high cheekbones, a turned-up nose, and plump lips. There was an air of maturity about her. She was clearly older than us, her figure fuller than the rest of us girls, though her face was smooth, free of any age lines. I wondered if she left behind a family. I could picture a handsome husband and a cherubic child, their faces drawn with worry over Teresa. But if she came from the neighborhood by the battle, I registered with chagrin, her family may have been slaughtered. And, I was reluctant to admit, most likely by one of us. 

Teresa raised a hand to her head, and gasped. She ran her fingers through the glossy, tight curls with agitation. 

“ _Where is my hair?”_ she asked in horror. 

Julissa winced. “ _Maria cuts all of ours. She says it’s weakness.”_

“ _Why is_ her’s _long?”_ Teresa accused, jabbing a finger at me.

Julissa glanced back at me, envy coloring her face. “ _She got lucky. She was already changing by the time she got to Maria. No chance to cut it.”_

I felt suddenly self-conscious, and tucked my hair behind my ears. 

Julissa continued to explain things to Teresa in Spanish. Eventually, she calmed her down enough for Teresa to move out of her crouch. Julissa guided her to the ground to sit with the rest of us, just as Clyde had done for me before. Teresa asked few questions, but Julissa answered them all as best she could. She only hesitated when Teresa asked about Joaquin.

“ _We don’t really know much about him. I think he may have been a teacher?_ Clyde,” Julissa said switching back to English, “what do you know about Joaquin? You said he mentioned being a teacher once.”

“Yeah,” Clyde scoffed. “He mentioned how much better behaved I was than his former students. That I actually listened to him, like I had a choice. I think he worked at like a reform school or something. A disciplinary place for troubled youth.”

“Maybe military school,” Sammi said with a wry smirk.

“It may have been.” Clyde shrugged. “I don’t know. Joaquin doesn’t really talk much about his life before Maria. All I know is he’s been with her a long time, like maybe two or three years? He’s never really said. Too focused on whipping us into shape.” 

Teresa’s questions petered out quickly after that. Despite Julissa’s success at coaxing her to the ground, Teresa was still jittery. Her head snapped at every sound. She couldn’t keep eye focus with any of us. She’d let go of her rosary, once she noticed that she was pulverizing it with her grip, and was wringing her hands. Julissa tried to engage Teresa in conversation, but she was no longer in the mood to speak. The only sounds that came from her were intermittent sobs. 

Joaquin returned hours later, just as Teresa was becoming increasingly antsy. It was a near replica of my first day of training, only I was called forward for demonstrations now. When Joaquin split us up to practice the first exercise, I was paired with Teresa. She was absolutely terrified by the violence, and hesitated to attack. Only base instinct compelled her to protect herself from my lunges with shoddy defensive maneuvers. I was defeating her easily, until Joaquin strode by. A few harsh words from him, and suddenly Teresa became a dangerous opponent. She sparred with unparalleled viciousness, though she seemed to recoil from her own ferocity. After pushing me down to the ground, her hands on either side of my head, clutching fistfuls of my hair mixed with dirt and straw, Teresa jerked back, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. Her entire body trembled, and she shook throughout her defensive attempt. But as soon as she switched to offense, the rage returned.

Joaquin picked up on Teresa’s jealous looks and actions towards my hair, and encouraged her to use it against me. Even when I tied it up with he hair tie Maria had given me, she would pull on my ponytail, yanking me to the ground or holding me up in the air by my hair. Joaquin would only watch and smile with glee. 

With the addition of Teresa, we conquered several more covens. We always emerged victorious, but each battle left its mark on one of us. I had a new scar on my shoulder from when an enraged vampire launched themselves at me. Clyde had wrestled that vampire off of me, and together we had finished him off. Clyde himself had almost lost three of his fingers off his right hand at our most recent battle. Luckily, we’d managed to scavenge them before Joaquin had tossed them into the fire, but now Clyde’s right hand displayed an interesting patten of interlocking crescents.

Three and a half weeks after Teresa joined us, there were new screams from the barn. The newest recruit was a man, Derek, with light brown hair shaved in a buzzcut. He was the tallest of us all, with broad, imposing shoulders. It had taken several hours for any of us to calm down in his presence, his strength was palpable. He was rough in training, and Joaquin had had to order him more than once to not bite or remove a limb in practice. I had never been more thankful for Joaquin’s gift than when Derek’s teeth sliced through my neck. One word, and he paused mid-bite. It was agony for a moment, as Derek froze with the tips of his teeth buried in my neck, but I breathed a sigh of relief as Joaquin ordered him off of me. I looked for weaknesses or habits in Derek’s fighting, but he was just so _damn_ strong, every move I made was useless. If he got his hands on me, I would lose. I’d have to be more cunning in my escape. I devoted hours to plotting out different strategies and routes. While the others would play games, I would sit and stare at the walls, imagining and perfecting different scenarios. Sometimes I’d grab a book and pretend to read, but I’d just stare at the pages as my mind explored getaway possibilities.

Unfortunately, Maria and Joaquin didn’t give me much time to ponder my great escape. They were thrilled by Derek’s brute strength, and had us out nearly every night patrolling. At least, thatwas the reason they gave. To me, it seemed like we were purposefully seeking out covens to attack. We encountered few other vampires on these patrols, just a lone man one night and a mated pair a few nights later. Yet, Maria said they were enemies and so we decimated them. I attempted to raise my concerns with my cohort, but they either didn’t see the pattern or chose to ignore it.

“These people could be innocent,” I tried to explain. “I mean, what sort of army is one guy? I don’t think they’re actually trying to fight us or steal our blood!”

“No one’s innocent,” Sammi sneered. “Not in this world. And that “one guy” could be a spy.”

“Sammi’s got a point,” said Clyde. “Maria says some covens do that, send a single vamp off to gather intel before battle. In that case, we’re just...taking a proactive stance. Striking first before they have the chance to. But maybe we can persuade Maria to try interrogation before attacking outright next time,” he added after seeing my concerned face, puffed up and prepared to argue. “Get Joaquin to force them to tell the truth.”

It was a start.

With every skirmish, we pushed further out into the region. Maria led us to the far edges of our domain, scoping out any trespassers. I couldn’t believe that all this land was actually ours, we were so far from base. I wondered if we truly owned this land, or if Maria had exaggerated our claim so we had an excuse to fight those we came across. But after those first few battles, we didn’t run into any other vampires. Nearly two weeks passed of these regular “patrols” without an encounter before Maria relented and stopped the excursions.

But only a couple of peaceful nights later, Maria returned to the stable, her eyes gleaming with the ambitious fire of war.

“There is a coven encroaching on our territory,” she began. “They’ve claimed the valley just outside of our southern border. But they are small, weak. A group of only three, two women and a man. Nothing compared to us, my faithful soldiers.”

“We can take them!” Sammi growled.

“I know we can. We will conquer this minuscule coven that has dared to move on our land, and we will send a message to all that we are powerful. We will gain control over the valley, and expand our reach over this region!”

As soon as the first stars dotted the sky, Maria ushered us out of the stable. She directed us towards a different route than the one we had used for patrols. We approached the valley from the mountains, in order to utilize the higher ground. As confident as Maria was in our victory, she knew an assault from above would prove even more formidable.

“Our enemies sit below,” Maria spoke in a hush, her voice barely audible. “I will draw their attention. Wait for my signal to proceed. Here,” she beckoned to us, “come and see our foes.”

We crept forward to the edge of the cliff. I peered down into the valley and did a double-take. 

There were fires, several of them, already lit and casting the valley in an orange glow. Three vampires stood in front of the flames, the two women and the man that Maria had described to us back at base. But behind them stood a dozen vampires, each with blazing red eyes and the build of football players. I counted five more behind the first line, huddled in a tight circle, their bodies facing outward, prepared for an attack.

I looked back at Maria, stunned that she would lead us into such certain defeat, but she was grinning with smug cockiness. 

“You see? An easy victory. We will feed well tonight in celebration.”

The others bared their teeth in excitement, but all I could do was stand frozen in fear. I couldn’t understand it. Didn’t they see what I saw? Didn’t they know the danger we were in?

“You there,” Maria called, stepping down into the valley. “What is your business in this area?”

“We’re merely traveling. Do you claim this land?” the smaller of the women asked in an airy soprano voice.

“Indeed I do,” Maria sneered. 

“Our apologies,” the second woman spoke up. “We didn’t know this land belonged to any coven. We mean no offense.”

My eyes narrowed. This group was obviously prepared to fight. Why were they lying?

“I’m not one for mercy,” threatened Maria. 

She raised her right arm into the air and curled her fingers into a fist. That was our signal to move forward, but not attack. We emerged from the shadow of the mountain, and fell into formation behind Maria. The three vampires in front of the flames quivered at the sight of us. But the vampires behind them crouched into positions I knew all too well from training. I looked around to see if anyone else was worried, but all of my cohort was oblivious to the display of aggression. Instead, they appeared even more eager for battle. Sammi even licked her lips in anticipation. 

Nothing made sense. This wasn’t some small, feeble coven of three, even if they were attempting to act as one. This was a powerful army, far stronger in numbers than us, and seemingly invisible to all but me. We had entered a battle we couldn’t win. 

_Oh crap._

“It’s a trap,” I whispered, horror-stricken.

Maria’s head snapped towards me, incredulous.

“It’s a trap,” I repeated.

Maria’s brow furrowed. She glanced from me to Joaquin, and then back out at the coven. Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. 

“Retreat! Re-”

Her words were cut off as the vampires charged. Maria fell on her back, knocked down by a towering vampire dressed all in black. She lay there, bewildered, clawing at her attacker. Most of her jabs scratched ineffectually at air, but one caught the man on his ear, and he howled in pain. Maria’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead, and she swung her arm again in the same place.

We all recoiled in shock at the sight of Maria fighting. None of us had ever seen her lift a finger in battle. Even in training, she would merely direct the sparring, never take part in it herself. But there was little time to gawk at the scuffle as the rest of the first line of vampires descended on us.

The burliest of the vampires set his sights on Derek. He tackled Derek from his side, their bodies forming a deep crater as they collided with the ground in a clap of thunder. Derek roared, the sound reverberating off the mountains, until it halted with a grating screech. The burly vampire tossed Derek’s head out of the ditch. I scurried back as it rolled towards me, my breaths coming faster. I couldn’t believe it. The strongest of us all, the one I had so been worried about evading, taken down like he was nothing.

I heard movement behind me, and swung around in time to see another muscular vampire, tall and wide like a bodybuilder, racing towards me. Fear coursed through me, and my instincts were screaming at me to run and protect myself. I ducked low to the ground as the vampire’s right arm reached out for me, sailing just inches above my head. Surprise flashed across his face, and then was replaced with unease as I placed my hands on the ground and swung my legs to the side in a precise slice, swiping the vampire’s feet out from under him. He landed on his back with a resounding thump, and I wasted no time in straddling him, pinning him with my weight and locking my legs to hold him tight. I wrenched his arms away quickly before he could grab me, then lowered my face to his neck and tore his head away with a rough bite. 

I raised my head, teeth dripping with venom, to see Clyde staring at me in wonder. He started to walk towards me, lips curling into a slow smile despite the carnage surrounding us. But I was staring at him in terror. 

One of the enemy vampires was approaching Clyde with a malicious glint in his eye. And Clyde couldn’t see him at all.

“Clyde!” I called in warning, rising to my feet and reaching my hand out towards him.

He gave me an odd look, and opened his mouth to speak.

But I’ll never know what Clyde was going to say to me.

The vampire leapt at Clyde, wrapping his hands around my friend’s neck, and used the momentum from his jump to rip Clyde’s head from his shoulders. He landed in a deep crouch, straightened, and immediately began racing towards one of the bonfires, Clyde’s sandy hair grasped in his fist. He slung Clyde’s head into the flames, and I watched, helpless and devastated, as the half-smile still etched upon his face melted into oblivion. 

“ _Clyde!_ ” I cried in despair, my voice breaking.

I wanted to fall to my knees. I wanted to bury myself in the dirt and let the world forget me. I wanted to cry and rant and rave and pray that some heavenly figure, if there was such a thing, would look down on me in mercy and grant me the cathartic release of tears so I could properly mourn my friend.

Instead, I was knocked to the ground by an enemy blow, my screams rushing out of me with all of my air. Strong arms wrapped around me, squeezing and crushing. I rapped my fists against my attacker’s back, clawed my nails against his skin. I tried pushing against my attacker, but his grip on me was too tight and he didn’t budge. I started flailing my legs wildly, hoping something would give. Luckily, the vampire I was fighting was a man, and my kick found purchase with a very sensitive area. The vampire yowled, releasing me as he doubled over in pain. I lifted my leg in the air with a fan-kick and--in a move I never could’ve done while human--brought my heel down with a full force strike on the vampire’s exposed neck. His head dropped unceremoniously to the ground. I scooped it up and hurled it at the nearest fire. Sparks flew as the colors shifted to purple and a sickly smell pervaded the air.

Some of the embers from the fire landed near the vampires in the circular formation. One of the vampires in the circle shifted his stance, and as he moved I caught a glimpse inside the circle. There was a young girl standing in the center, barely older than a child, concentrating intensely. With a jolt, I realized the vampires in the circle were protecting her. If this tiny girl had powerful bodyguards, she had to be important. She had to be the one behind the invisibility. She was the reason Clyde was dead. My mouth curved into a viscous snarl as a determined growl rose in my chest. I was the only one who could see the girl. I had to take her down.

I charged the circle with resolve. Several vampires attempted to stop me, but I evaded them with deft twists and turns. I struck at anyone who came near me with my nails, aiming for the eyes when I could. I could see that the vampires in the circle were preparing for me, though obviously unnerved by my unexpected awareness of them. A few of them seemed anxious to run forward and block me, and a series of uneasy glances passed among the bodyguards. But they held fast, dedicated to their duties as protectors.

They were too strong for me. I knew that looking at them. The moment I struck, I’d have five vampires swarming to pulverize me. I’d have to be smarter with my attack. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted one of the front line vampires that I’d previously eluded darting towards me. 

_Perfect._

I let him get close, feigning ignorance of his approach. As soon as he was in striking distance, I quickly changed directions. I met the vampire head-on, encircling my arms around him in a secure grip. I pushed him forward, meeting resistance as he dragged his heels in the soil. I grunted, and released one of my arms to press down on his shoulder. With all my strength, I forced him to his knees. The vampire fell forward, his hands bracing himself. I stepped on the vampire’s back, and used the extra leverage to propel myself up and over the defensive circle, landing directly behind the young girl. My hands shot out to grab her neck, and before any of her bodyguards could respond, I snapped her head off with a resolute twist. 

Gasps echoed in the valley. With the girl incapacitated, whatever spell she had cast disappeared. Everyone could finally see our adversaries as clearly as I could.

The gasps morphed into menacing growls, and the air was swiftly filled with the gnashing of teeth and the metallic clamor of vampiric limb removal. I defended myself as the girl’s bodyguards whirled to face me. Their massive arms shot out at me, their meaty fingers attempting to seize the girl’s head, which I clutched close to my chest. I was preparing to barrel through the enclosing crowd, when the two vampires in front of me were knocked aside. I was stunned to see Maria had been the one to push them away.

“Give me that,” Maria snapped. She snatched the girl’s head out of my hands and turned tail. “Let’s go!”

I followed Maria as she snaked through the valley, avoiding confrontation as best we could. It was absolute chaos, even more so when Maria chucked the girl’s head into one of the bonfires, further enraging the enemy coven who howled and spat as they chased us. We spotted Joaquin standing over the original three vampires, ordering them to kill each other. Maria took hold of Joaquin’s sleeve as we came upon him and gave it a tug. 

“Enough. Call over whoever’s left. We’re getting out of here.”

Joaquin nodded his assent. He started calling out all of our names. A stabbing pain ran through my chest as Joaquin hollered for Clyde.

Only Sammi and Julissa responded to the summons.

Maria swore as we dodged attack after attack. Joaquin warded them off with his words as best as he could, but he was off-kilter and unfocused, and with every vampire that he dispatched, another seemed to take its place. Sammi and Julissa were both nursing injuries--Sammi carried her detached left arm in her right hand and Julissa’s leg was twisted and covered in nasty bites--but there was no time to stop and focus on healing. Sammi beat at the aggressive vampires with her limb as if it were a billy club. 

Maria sniffed the air and made a rapid change of direction. “This way! Stay close!”

We trailed Maria, matching her step for step. She was pushing herself for speed, knowing she couldn’t outrun the newborns from the valley, and was relying on her evasive maneuvers and confusing route to throw the army off our track. I couldn’t make sense of her twists and turns, but Maria seemed to know where she was going. The air took on a musty tinge that soon became overwhelmed with the scent of fish. Maria’s lips spread into a broad smile as we reached the banks of a river.

“Quickly! Into the water! Do not surface until I do!” 

She dove into the river, still graceful even given the baleful circumstances, and we all jumped in after her. The water was murky and muffled the surface sounds. We moved in smooth undulations, cautious of any splashes that would give our location away to the enemy coven. The fish gave us a wide berth as we swam by them. We swam low, our stomachs nearly grazing the riverbed, following the flow of the river for hours. It was uncomfortable, not breathing, but somehow soothing to be rocked by the current. I kept my mind focused on Maria and the river, pulling it back every time it dared stray back to the valley and the horrific battle. 

Out of nowhere, Maria began to kick upwards. We followed her up and out of the water, onto the riverbank, our waterlogged clothing leaving dark patches on the ground . I twisted my ponytail, ringing out what river water I could, and pulled a clump of algae out of the tangled tresses.

Maria glanced back over her shoulder, scanning the landscape for any sign we had been followed. 

“The water should help with our scent,” she said. “But let’s not give them any time to catch a new trail.”

With that, Maria took off again, this time on land. There was a sense of urgency in her running, separate from her concern over the enemy coven. She kept glimpsing up at the lightening, early morning sky, wary of impending sunlight that would reveal our existence. She kept us to the shadows as much as possible, running under the cover of mountains and trees. Maria also avoided populated areas, conscious of my, Sammi, and Julissa’s thirst which, I was reluctant to note, was growing in need. 

Just as sunbeams began to dance off our skin, the environment grew familiar. I recognized the scattering of buildings, the weeds and dried-out plants, the smell of decaying wood and the faded sweet scents of my cohort. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the last remnants of Clyde’s ocean air scent. We were approaching the farm. 

Maria was gracious enough to let us stop at the shed, but she seemed preoccupied as she threw open the door. Though I was consumed by bloodlust as I fed, afterwards I caught sight of Maria, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She watched us with pursed lips and a brewing storm behind her maroon eyes. Something seemed to snap inside her and she exploded. 

“ _Carajo!_ This is ridiculous! I can’t do this anymore! Joaquin, watch over them while I’m gone.”

“What? Wait, where are you going?”

There was a faraway look in Maria’s eyes. “To find someone I lost.”

She gave no further explanation, simply spinning on her heel and racing away, leaving behind a cloud of dust and her cherry scent in her wake. Joaquin gaped after her in a stupor, until he remembered our presence. He collected himself, and cast a scathing glare at the three of us.

“Right. Back to the stable. Immediately. All of you.”

I obeyed almost as quickly as Sammi and Julissa, not wanting to risk Joaquin’s ire when he was in such a foul mood. He relieved himself of us with haste, slamming the stable door with such force the entire structure shook.

In the silence of the stable, all the thoughts I had been holding back came flooding in.

“I can’t believe Clyde’s gone.”

“They got Teresa, too,” Julissa added softly.

“Yeah, and Derek,” Sammi scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “That’s battle. People die.”

She skulked off to the back right corner of the stable and buried herself in a pile of straw. She turned on her side, facing the wall, and blankly dragged her nails across the boards.

As much as I wanted to curl up in straw as well, I couldn’t move. I was frozen to the spot, my mind fixated on Clyde’s final moments. It replayed over and over again in my mind.

_My fault, my fault..._

If only I had acted sooner. If only I had been more aggressive. If only I’d given a better warning. I could’ve _stopped it._ Castigations played in my mind on a never-ending loop. 

But nothing could bring Clyde back. My closest friend in this hell had been taken from me. 

I buried my head in my hands and started to sob.


	5. Opportunity Calls

Maria was gone for weeks.

Joaquin came into the stable to train us now and then, but he was clearly distracted by Maria’s absence. He didn’t teach us any new techniques, simply reviewed the moves he’d already taught us with ambivalence. He wasn’t as harsh in his directives, and mistakes and errors that would usually earn a sharp reprimand slid unnoticed. Joaquin was constantly stealing glimpses at the door as if Maria would arrive at any moment. He’d watch us spar, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere. Feedings were sparse, which had us all on edge. Joaquin almost seemed to forget how often we needed to feed, he was so preoccupied with Maria’s departure.

I continued to mourn Clyde. 

I wished I had _something_ to remember him by. But he’d had no personal effects, no clothes besides the ones he wore, and his ashes were long since lost to the wind. At least my memory was infallible. I could recall every boyish grin and genial laugh, every quip and joke and jibe. And also every millisecond of his final moments. His face in the flames blazed in agonizingly perfect detail every time I closed my eyes. It was a blessing and a curse.

I missed him terribly. The stable was empty and bleak without his gentle presence. I hadn’t quite realized how much I had relied on him for my brief moments of happiness. Sammi and Julissa tried to engage me in games, but it wasn’t the same without Clyde. He’d always been the one to suggest them. The games felt hollow without him. 

Julissa and Sammi urged me to move on, to forget about Clyde. 

“That’s battle,” Sammi kept reiterating. 

I wonder if the constant repetition was Sammi’s way of convincing herself. Every so often I’d catch her staring at the wall or off into space. She’d scratched over the designs she’d clawed into the walls and floorboards, sometimes starting a new sketch, other times scraping away the wood to smithereens. Julissa busied herself with braiding new bracelets from her strips of cloth. But I could tell the battle had affected her, too. Sometimes she’d sit and trace the patchwork of crescents on her leg, her eyes glossy and unfocused. Still, neither of them would talk about the battle, or even mention the soldiers-- _the friends_ \--we’d lost.

The days and nights dragged, blurring into one another with monotony. I’d long since finished all the books I’d snuck into the stable, but the words had brought me little joy or solace. I’d occasionally bring them back out again to re-read, only to find that I’d hold the book open in my hands and stare blankly at the words. I’d turn the pages and my eyes would scan the passages, but there was still no enjoyment. It was simply something to do. I almost longed for Joaquin to add someone new to our ranks for some novelty and companionship, though I knew he’d never do so without Maria’s consent, especially after messing up with me. I always felt ashamed and selfish after having these thoughts. I wouldn’t wish this existence on anyone.

I barely thought of escape anymore. I knew, in the back of my mind, that now was my greatest opportunity. Maria was gone. The army was reduced to Sammi and Julissa, and I knew how they fought. I’d proven to myself that I could take Sammi down. There’d never be a better chance than this. And yet, I couldn’t muster the motivation to leave. I still thought about Renée and Charlie, and wished for their comfort more fervently than ever. I knew that Renée would’ve been effusive with her sympathy. She would’ve taken me anywhere, done anything to provide me with welcome distraction. Charlie would’ve offered me an awkward hug and some sage words. He would’ve bent a listening ear, if I wanted to share, or simply sat with me in compassionate silence. I imagined myself speaking to them, letting them know about this boy who was kind and reassuring even in the face of such atrocity. Yet, I took no actions to make my fantasies real. Escape seemed...pointless. After the battle, it seemed almost inevitable that I’d perish in a burst of purple flames. I’d had an advantage in being able to see my attackers in that horrible massacre. If I’d lacked that, I would’ve died as well. And the next battle, I might not be so lucky. There was a numbing peace that came over me. I wouldn’t live to make it back to Renée and Charlie. This life was simply too harsh. But I could think of them, hope for a better future for them. I resigned myself to my fate. 

That all changed when Maria returned. 

It was an early morning in mid-March. We were all sitting around waiting for training, the three of us barely making conversation, when Joaquin burst into the stable.

“Up, up, quickly! Maria is back, and she has valuable information to share.”

We scrambled to our feet, standing at attention. Maria sauntered into the stable, proud and haughty with a sly smile spread wide across her face.

“I have been away, searching for an old friend of mine. A soldier. A Major, in fact. He is skilled, lethal and talented. He is just what we need to become a truly unstoppable force. With him here to aid you in your training, no coven will _ever_ defeat us again.”

Maria’s grin was chilling. Her ruby eyes shone with the gleeful promise of revenge. I heard an encouraging growl rumble in Sammi’s chest next to me. 

“Last I saw him, he was in Canada. I decided to start my search for him there. But in my travels north, I was lucky enough to come across a small coven that knew of his whereabouts. They had played _baseball_ with him and his coven, of all things,” Maria scoffed. “He’s in Washington.”

Washington.

Forks.

_Charlie._

My apathy faded away in an instant.

“I used to live there! I know the area!” The words flew out of my mouth before I made the conscious decision to speak.

Four sets of red eyes shot towards me. I shrunk under their penetrating gazes, and quickly covered.

“I can do reconnaissance. Scope out the area and the coven he’s with.”

“Oh, I know all about the coven he’s with,” Maria mused. “Which means they know me well. You, on the other hand...they have no knowledge of.” Maria looked me over appraisingly. “You can’t go alone. Joaquin will accompany you.”

_Damn._

Joaquin blinked, startled by the command. “But Maria, you need me here, to watch over the newborns.”

“I have handled newborns before, and I will do so again,” Maria snapped. “Wait until it’s dark to leave. And make sure this one is well fed before you go. I don’t want you stopping unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“But, Maria--”

“Bella, right?” Maria turned to me sharply. I nodded under her scrutiny. “Come with me. I wish to speak with you.”

“Maria--”

“I’ll deal with you in a moment, Joaquin” Maria said brusquely. He bristled in response to the dismissive tone. She motioned for me to follow her with a tilt of her head. I heeded her command, hurrying after her, feeling three pairs of eyes burning into me. 

Maria led me across the farm, away from the stable, away from the shed, to an area I had never been to before. I had seen the decrepit house on the edge of the property; an old ranch style home with faded paint and boarded up windows. I hadn’t realized until now that this was where Maria spent her time, and most likely where Joaquin disappeared to now and then. I’d never given much thought to where they lived when they weren’t with us.

The house was sparsely decorated inside. The walls were covered in peeling wallpaper and discoloration left by missing picture frames. There were decorative ceramic tiles on the floor of the entryway, geometric shapes that resembled flowers in rusty oranges and reds. The tiles were surprisingly mostly intact, only a few were chipped. Maria entered a room off to the left of the entryway, what looked to be a formal living room. There was a couch with a dated floral pattern embroidered onto it, and a chair with a high back to match. I was curious about what the rest of the place looked like, but Maria had stopped once we’d entered the living room so I could only take in what I could see. 

“This is a special opportunity I am offering you. You understand that right, Bella?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t normally allow my soldiers such freedom...but you have proven yourself lately.”

She paused and I discerned she was waiting for me to accept her compliment. “Thank you,” I responded hastily.

“However,” Maria continued, almost as if I hadn’t spoken, “don’t let it go to your head. You must _never_ let your guard down.” Her tone shifted, becoming more lecture-like. “Especially when it comes to the Major and his coven. I trust Joaquin will be able to... _convince_ him to return to us, but even so...” Her forehead creased and an inscrutable expression fell over her face. She pursed her lips in a pensive manner, but there was a sense of fear swimming in her eyes. I’d only seen that look on her once before, after that terrible battle, when Maria had faced defeat. 

“You have to be careful with this coven,” Maria cautioned after a moment. “They are talented beyond belief, and will use their gifts to play tricks on you. But _you_ might be able to see through all that. Tell me,” she peered at me closely, her irises a dark and calculating crimson, “how was it that you saw through the illusion at the battle? How did you know it was a trap?”

“I...I don’t know.”

“Did you have a feeling? A sense? A pull?”

“No, no, I...” I bit my lip and shrugged my shoulders. “I just could see them. Like normal. I couldn’t believe no one else could, it was so obvious to me.”

“Hmmm...” Maria circled me, like a lioness stalking her prey. “You don’t even try, do you? Like with Joaquin. You don’t actively resist him.”

She stopped in front of me, and cocked her head to the side. Her lips curled into a contemplative smile as she grabbed my face, her fingers pressing into either side of my chin. I resisted the urge to flinch.

“You have possibility, Bella. We will have to wait and see if you can return with my Major. You could be of great use to me.” She let go of my chin and took a step back, her arm dropping down to her side. “You’ll recognize the Major immediately. He’s tall and lean, covered in scars from head to toe. There’s a distinctive one above his left eye, two connected scars that almost look like an ‘S.’ His hair is long and blond, golden like the sun.” She hesitated then, whatever words she was about to say next catching in her throat. 

“What of the others?”

“Ah, the others,” Maria considered. “There are six others in the coven. Three females, three males.”

_Six._ As large as we had once been. A veritable army. It was a good thing I had no intention of ever seeking out the Major and his coven. I’d get to Washington and find Charlie and forget all about Maria and her missions.

“The males are all tall, taller than Joaquin. One is blond, another red-headed, and the last has curly black hair. Not to mention an abundance of muscle...” Maria muttered. “The females are varied. One is nearly as tall as the men, with blonde hair that hangs to her waist. Another is the exact opposite, a tiny thing--really a wisp of a girl she’s so thin--with short black hair. The third stands in the middle of the other two, with brown hair. She looks softer than the others, but don’t be deceived. Each member of this coven is vicious, deceptive, and prone to mind games. They are a formidable enemy,” she snarled.

“Now send Joaquin over. I want to discuss some of the finer details of this mission with him.”

I nodded and left quickly, feeling unnerved by Maria’s words. I wiped my hand over my face, removing the lingering feel of her fingers on my skin. I followed our scent trail back to the stable. There was scuffling on the other side of the door and the sound of crunching straw as I approached. I pushed aside the stable door to see Joaquin waiting for me, standing in the middle of the stable, his face stormy. Julissa and Sammi were crouched behind him, brimming over with barely restrained curiosity. 

“Maria wants to see you,” I told Joaquin, my voice shakier than I intended it to be. 

Joaquin huffed and left the stable without a word, dust billowing up in the wake of his exit. As soon as Joaquin was gone, the girls jumped on me with a barrage of questions.

“What did Maria want?”

“Where did she take you?”

“I can’t _believe_ she chose you for this mission! Did she tell you anything more about it?”

“Did you really live in Washington?”

“Whoa, whoa.” I held up my hands to placate them, and the onslaught of questions ceased immediately. 

“Maria just wanted to prepare me for this mission,” I began cautiously, choosing my words with care. “She gave me some advice, some warning about this...Major and his coven.”

“Did she tell you anymore about them?” Sammi asked eagerly.

“A bit. There’s six of them, besides this Major, and apparently they have a reputation. Maria seemed almost...intimidated by them.”

“You’ll be safe, alright?” Julissa asked quietly, one of her elaborate braids bunched between her hands. She kept twisting and untwisting it. Gingerly, I laid my hand atop hers.

“I’ll do my best.”

A small smile spread across her lips. She looked down at the braided cloth in her hands and then handed it to me.

“Here,” said Julissa. “For your hair.” There was the slightest hint of embarrassment in her tone. An apology for all the times she’d used my hair against me in training. 

“Thank you,” I whispered, accepting the gift with a bit of shock.

Julissa had used multiple scraps of blue cloth, each in varying shades from sapphire to robin’s egg, to form her braid. It carried her scent, that hint of berries and cream. The hair tie Maria had given me hung loosely around my wrist. I tied my hair back with it first, then wrapped Julissa’s braid around my ponytail. 

It was a tender gift, and something twinged inside of me as I ran my fingers over the bumps in the braid. The girls had been kind to me, in their own way, Julissa more than Sammi. I wouldn’t be coming back to them. This was the end of our little group. I was going to miss them, I abruptly realized. I felt shameful as I thought over how I’d spurned them these last few weeks. 

“I’ve got several hours before I’ll be heading out,” I began timidly. “Do you wanna....maybe play a game?”

Julissa beamed.

We played--everything from Concentration to checkers we forged from broken pieces of wood and small pebbles--until the last of the sun’s rays dissolved into the evening sky. As soon as twilight was upon us, the stable door creaked and Joaquin stepped into view. He stood in the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. His mouth was set in a firm line.

“We have our orders. Let’s go.”

I shyly waved goodbye to Sammi and Julissa. Julissa returned my wave in earnest, and mouthed “good luck” as I headed out the door behind Joaquin. Sammi gave a single shake of her hand without looking at me, which I figured was as good as I was going to get from her. 

Joaquin hastily ushered me to the shed. As we drew near, I discerned four heartbeats, pounding tantalizingly inside. Venom flooded my mouth, but I had enough presence of mind to recall that such a feast was unusual. 

“Are you going to feed, too?”

“ _I_ can manage.”

“Then why--”

“Maria wants you full. I do, too. I won’t tolerate any frivolous pit stops just because you can’t control your thirst. _Drink._ ” 

Even though I was immune to his gift, there was no disputing Joaquin’s assertive command. I killed the first two with ease, but halfway through the third human I began to feel uncomfortable. Bloated. Sloshy. I dropped the carcass with a groan. 

“Finish up,” Joaquin barked.

“I can’t,” I moaned. “I’m too full.”

Joaquin barged into the shed fuming. “You _can_ and you _will.”_

He grabbed the final human, who was sniveling in the corner, by his neck and tossed him across my lap.

“No matter how full you say you are, you are still a newborn and you are still _weak._ ” 

Joaquin dragged the nail of his index finger across the man’s neck. Blood welled up, and the piquant aroma entranced me once again. I cursed my control as I drank, my stomach protesting with every swallow. I felt the usual euphoria that came with feeding, but it was dampened by the sense that I was about to burst. 

Joaquin made sure the man was dead--no use risking an unintended recruit--and then he hoisted me roughly to my feet.

“We’re off.”

We ran all night, sticking to the desert and away from populated areas. During the day, when the sun would shine unrelentingly, we stuck to the shadows or dove into the ocean and swam up the coast. Sometimes, we took shelter in abandoned buildings. I thought we might run into other vampires, maybe even the ones that had given Maria the information about this Major, but whenever I caught a whiff of something so sweet it could only be vampire, Joaquin steered us away. 

Joaquin had started the trip in a sour mood, his lips twisted in a scowl. He barely acknowledged my presence, only giving directions and orders when necessary. Upset with Maria’s commands and his glorified babysitter status, I assumed. But after the first day, he started to lighten up. He kept trying to initiate conversation with me, discussing asinine topics like the changing vegetation as we trekked north and the local wildlife. I wanted to have no part of it. I was consumed with my thoughts of escape. I was keenly aware of my dwindling time. Every desert landscape dotted with cactus that became forest and lush, verdant moss, every minuscule change in temperature, every rainfall, was another drop of sand in my hourglass. I knew that I’d have to make a break for it sooner rather than later, but I wasn’t sure how to make it happen. Joaquin hadn’t left my side since we left Maria. I may not have spoken a word, but my mind was filled with countless ideas. 

Joaquin didn’t seem to mind my reticence. He continued to chatter to himself, pausing every so often to give me an opportunity to join in, but then continuing on with his own musings whenever I didn’t answer. 

We were running along the coast of northern California, flitting between the towering redwoods and catching beams of moonlight filtered down from the foliage, when Joaquin started chuckling to himself.

“Our relationship has come so far, wouldn’t you say, _querida?_ I’m glad I saw your car on the road that night. Though I never intended to make you crash, I thought you were just going to stop!”

A chill washed over me as I ground to a halt.

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what,’ _querida?_ ”

“That was _you_? In the road that night?” Muddy memories flashed in my mind. A shadowy figure in the middle of the road. Losing control of the car. A terrible crash.

“Of course! You didn’t know?”

“I thought,” I let out a puff of air. “I thought you just found me...after.”

The chill in my veins turned to heat as rage overtook me. A red haze clouded my vision.

“You caused all this! You set it all in motion!” 

With a livid and raucous growl, I launched myself at Joaquin. But I’d given him advanced warning with my roar, and he countered my attack with ease. I lunged for him again, but he ducked out of my grasp. I whirled around to face him just as Joaquin hurled his fist at me. It connected with my cheek with a crash that reverberated in the forest. He grabbed me by the neck and knocked me back against a redwood. The ancient tree trembled. 

“You forget, _querida,_ who you try,” Joaquin sneered. 

I kicked and clawed at him, trying to grab hold of any part of him and tear it to shreds. He simply strengthened his grasp on my neck and shoved me against the tree with more force. There was a tremendous crack and leaves and branches scattered to the ground around us. 

“You _will not_ challenge me again. I can do this mission without you. Maria will believe what I tell her. She may be upset if I lose you, but what am I to do if we come across a hostile coven?” he chuckled with affected innocence. 

His fingers tightened around my throat. I drew in a sharp breath and shut my eyes as Joaquin bared his teeth and leaned in close. I prepared myself for the sting of his bite, but it never came. Joaquin released his hold on me with a laugh and I crumpled to the ground. I tenderly rubbed the healing fractures in my neck. 

“Get up. I want to make it out of California by sunrise.” 

Begrudgingly, I rose to my feet, dusting the dirt off my clothes. My head was a flurry of activity as new thoughts surfaced in my mind and crashed into one another, like waves on a rocky shore.

Was I stronger than Joaquin? Yes. But he knew how to fight newborns. He’d trained us all, he knew how we fought. Brute strength and speed alone wouldn’t be enough to overpower him. I needed a cleverer, more tactical approach if escape was to be at all possible. I hadn’t studied Joaquin like I had the others. That was a misstep on my part, I grumbled to myself. I was so concerned with defeating the other newborns--who would’ve fought to the death under Joaquin’s commands--that I hadn’t thought seriously about how to evade Joaquin himself. I was so reliant on my resistance to his gift. I thought it was all that I would need. Of course I’d had my fantasies, but they’d been just that. Fantasies. Daydreams about defeating Joaquin with no feasible plan. I bit my lip, mad at myself for the oversight, and started to think about practical ways to overcome him. Every step brought us closer to Washington, closer to Charlie, but I had no hope of seeing him unless I could lose Joaquin.


	6. Destruction and Discovery

True to his word, we made it into Oregon just as the sun’s early morning rays began to dance on our skin. Joaquin directed us into the forest, the towering trees providing a canopy of protection. We kept to the woods, where the air smelled crisp and clean. I breathed in the aromatic scent of pine and fresh rainwater. Around midday, billowing clouds rolled in, blotting out the sun, and the smell of rain grew stronger. Not long after, there was the soft pitter-patter of rain on the leaves. With the additional cloud cover, we could step out of the forest without fear of revealing ourselves in a burst of glittering light. Overcast weather, it turns out, is perfect for vampires.

It drizzled on and off for some time. We remained out in the open, under a grey sky with pillow like indentations. It was a relief to have at least the illusion of space from Joaquin. In the forest, I felt constrained by the forced tight quarters, especially with the fight still fresh in my mind. Tension burned under my skin, stretching me taught, like a live wire. I relished the freedom of the open air, until the shower had finally passed and sunbeams began to peek out, at which point Joaquin returned us to the confining forest. 

After several hours, I noticed that Joaquin was angling us further east, away from the coastline. The omnipresent trees were thinning. I could hear the roar of a highway nearby. The presence of humanity became more obvious. I could practically feel the pulse of blood and the wall of heat of the cities pressing in on me. Every now and then there were tantalizing scents on the wind. Joaquin kept a tight grip on my arm. Every time my nose began to wander, he gave a sharp jerk to bring me back. He ran in sweeping curves and figure eights, eerily reminiscent of the evasive maneuvers of training, in an effort to shift the wind and keep me focused. 

“Why are we heading towards town?” I had thought we would’ve stuck to the coastline and the safety of the national forests until we reached Washington, and we definitely weren’t there yet. The signs I could read on the road as we approached civilization had us a good 60 miles away from Portland, and getting closer all the time. Not the path I would’ve predicted us to take.

“These are the directions Maria gave me,” said Joaquin curtly.

We continued to run east, though Joaquin’s path began to take us north as well. We were running along Highway 30, nestled in the wooded areas and protected parks with rivers and lakes to our left and humanity to our right. I knew Vancouver was right on the other side of those waterways. We were so close to the border, and approaching Washington faster all the time. I watched the mile numbers count down with dread. 

What had Maria told Joaquin? Did she know where in Washington this Major and his coven were? What if they were nowhere near Forks? How was I ever going to get to Charlie?

“Where in Washington are we going to start our search?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could manage.

Joaquin’s response was clipped. “Never you mind.”

Joaquin grew snippier by the minute. I was cognizant of the rapidly darkening color of his irises, more black than red, like the tail end of a sunset. Neither of us had fed since leaving Maria, and Joaquin hadn’t indulged like I had back at base. I was surprised to find that I wasn’t as thirsty as I would’ve expected. True, the thirst was there--ever-present and smoldering, especially in proximity to the human cities--but it seemed Joaquin was thirstier than I was at the moment.

A plan quickly formed in my mind.

“I’m thirsty,” I stated, leaning into the feeling of flames licking my throat. I knew I wasn’t the greatest actor. I had to make this convincing.

Joaquin only grunted in response.

“You look like you could use a drink, too.”

“We’re nearly at Washington, can’t you wait?”

“No,” I added with a groan, twisting my face into a facade of pain and discomfort. “We’re so close to the city,” I continued, pointing out a sign along the road. “Can’t we just duck in real quick?”

“Quiet,” Joaquin hissed, gritting his teeth. Tension was evident in his jaw. I smirked to myself, then quickly adjusted my face back into the semblance of thirst.

“ _Please,_ ” I whimpered. “I’m _really_ thirsty. All I can smell are the humans. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed. They’re _everywhere_ and they’re _mouthwatering._ ” 

Joaquin licked his lips and swallowed. 

“Besides, I don’t wanna meet this coven feeling weak. Didn’t Maria say they were powerful? We’ll need all our strength _before_ entering Washington, not after.” 

I watched Joaquin ponder my words. His eyes were nearing coal. 

“Fine,” he snapped. “A quick feed. No loitering.” 

_Success._

Joaquin switched directions, and aimed directly for Portland. He maintained his vice-like grip on my wrist. 

“Hold your breath,” he commanded. “I don’t want you running off. You’ll feed on who _I_ tell you.”

It was uncomfortable not breathing, especially as murky human memories seemed to believe I needed to breathe in order to run, but I wasn’t going to disobey Joaquin. Especially when I didn’t want to let myself get distracted either. For my plan to work, I had to keep my mind sharp. 

It was early evening as we approached the outskirts of Portland. Joaquin slowed to a more human-like pace. I matched his speed, step for step. I could tell that Joaquin was starting to shift into a hunting mode. His head was angled forward, nose turned toward the wind. He eyed the streets and stores with consideration. There was a fierceness in his black eyes, though I could tell he hadn’t fully given his mind over to the predator yet. I purposefully kept my mind away from the hunt.

Joaquin gave a tug on my wrist with a subdued snarl. 

“This way.”

He led me down a deserted street and into a narrow alley. There were two dumpsters lining the alley, but they were both full and trash bags spilled out of the dumpsters and littered the ground. Joaquin dragged me further into the alley, and I spotted two people curled up in sleeping bags behind the dumpsters with cardboard boxes and plastic tarps for cover. I could hear their labored breathing, indicating sleep, the rush of blood in their veins...

_No. Focus._

Joaquin licked his lips as he looked over the slumbering couple. 

“I’ll take the man. You can have the woman.”

I nodded. Joaquin released my wrist as he shifted forward into a crouch. In one lightning-fast lunge, Joaquin separated the man and the woman, tossing her at me without a second thought. She hit my chest, and I instinctually reached out my arms to catch her before she fell to the ground. I regretted the action instantly. Her heat was all-consuming, a brand against my skin. It seeped into my body, reaching up into my throat with curling flames. The woman squirmed in my arms, her eyelids fluttering. I couldn’t have her wake up. Not now. Grimacing, I lowered the woman and propped her up against the wall with all the delicacy I could muster. She sniffed, and her head lolled to one side, coming to rest against one of the dumpsters with a soft ‘thunk.’ My hands itched for her scorching heat almost as soon as I released her, but I quickly turned myself away from temptation, only to be confronted by another--Joaquin leaning over the man, his teeth bared.

Desire rushed through me. 

I tried to quell it, but it was like fighting a war against my own body. The more logical part of my mind knew what my plan was and was doing its best to keep me focused and steady against the instinctual part of my brain that was howling madly, salivating with the knowledge that Joaquin was about to feed and that there would be blood in the air and a body full of ambrosia nestled near. I shut my eyes tight and continued to hold my breath, but even with my senses cut off I still knew what was going to happen and my body ached to fulfill itself. I gritted my teeth, clenching my jaw, as I tightened every muscle in my body to hold myself in place. My teeth tingled with the urge to bite and shred and tear. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t actually thirsty, but my throat was suddenly desiccated as if I hadn’t fed in weeks. The feast at base meant nothing when there was fresh, warm, fragrant blood in the air. Even with my eyes closed, I knew Joaquin had made his attack. I could hear the contented hum in his chest, the workings of his throat muscles as he drank his fill. I held myself firm, struggling against the yearning to inhale the sweet aroma I knew was pervading the air. I couldn’t be as weak as Joaquin thought I was. I _wouldn_ ’ _t_ be _._ The effort to keep myself grounded was excruciating, like resisting the iron strings of a master puppeteer. Sounds of Joaquin feeding were enticing, but I knew I had to steady myself. This was the moment.

I took a cautious first step, which was an absurdly onerous task. Like wading through molassesor walking into a strong wind. My nerves screamed at me, rebelling against my actions as I rebelled against my instincts. I knew, if I gave myself over to my senses, all the difficulty would disappear and I would pounce and fulfill my craving. I had to focus my mind so heavily on just moving forward toward Joaquin and keeping my control near-perfect so I wouldn’t end up stealing Joaquin’s meal away from him or rushing back to the sleeping woman.

I pushed myself to take a step forward. And another. Towards Joaquin, but not towards the human in his arms. I had to act quickly, he would be done feeding soon. Then his single-minded focus would vanish and my opportunity would be gone forever. But the strength to move forward and not attack was unendurable. It was becoming more taxing by the second to ignore the protestations of the monster within.

_He’s distracted_ , I told myself. _You have to act now._

_Have to act now._

_Have to act NOW!_

I shot forward like a bullet and wrenched Joaquin’s head away from his body. His headless torso stood unmoving, like some old master’s statue, before slumping forward onto the crumpled heap of his meal.

_I’d done it._

I basked in the moment briefly, reveling in my newfound power as I held Joaquin’s head in my hands. All those battles, all that training...every bite, every jeer, every harsh command...and yet _I_ was the one to emerge victorious. I _never_ had to listen to him _ever_ again. I was _free._ And not only had I overpowered Joaquin, I’d proven to myself that I could conquer the worst of me, resist the cravings that warped me into someone unrecognizable, even if it took all my strength and mental acuity. Venom pricked in my eyes and a rejoicing laugh of relief bubbled in my chest. I allowed myself to feel the elation, but suppressed the laugh. My control was still stretched inconceivably thin and the smallest wisp of air could be my undoing. But my victory was short-lived as a hoarse wail broke out behind me. I turned around with a start to see the woman, tears streaming down her grimy cheeks, staring at me in horror. Her knees knocked together as she trembled all over. I was stunned into unnatural stillness. This was exposure, and I knew what I was supposed to do, but I had never faced such a situation before and anxiety seized my body. I couldn’t deal with this right now. I didn’t know exactly what the woman had seen or when she’d woken up. Besides--I glanced down at Joaquin’s head--I had more important things to take care of. The woman followed my line of sight, before rushing out into the street, tripping over garbage on unsteady feet, her voice crackling with terrified sobs. 

_Crap._

That was sure to attract attention. 

In fact, I could hear mutterings from the residents of the buildings on either side of the alley. Someone was unlocking their window. Time was running short.

I snapped back to myself as training kicked in. Dispose of evidence. Dismember your enemy. Make certain they will never rise again. I dropped Joaquin’s head to the ground and began to tear at his body. I grabbed his arm that had held me tight on the journey here, and hurled it out of sight. His leg was next, cracking in two beneath my sure fingers. I had only meant to separate a few limbs, but the act of tearing apart Joaquin was so satisfying, I lost myself in ripping him into smaller and smaller pieces. Hours of fantasies finally becoming reality. The caterwauling of police sirens, approaching the alley at breakneck speed, brought me back to my senses. 

Right. Dismember. Then eliminate with fire. I faltered. I didn’t have a lighter. Maria didn’t trust any of us newborns with them. She or Joaquin had always been the one to start the fires at our battles. Which meant Joaquin had to have one! I sifted through the remains of Joaquin’s coat, looking for a lighter among the scraps of cloth. Nothing. Frantically, I searched through the remnants of the rest of Joaquin’s clothing. My spirits soared as my nails clanked against something metal among the debris, and I hastily dug out the object, only for my joy to deflate as I looked upon my discovery.

The lighter was demolished. I’d punctured it, crumpled it in my reckless destruction of Joaquin’s body. I tried lighting it, hoping for a miracle, but no sparks flew.

“Dammit,” I hissed, casting the lighter away in disgust. It flew at a high speed, barreling through a dumpster. I flinched at the clanging sound that echoed in the small space. The sirens were closing in.

My eyes desperately scanned the alley for anything I could use to start a fire. Old newspaper, bottles of alcohol, a heaven-sent box of matches, but there was nothing and no time. I had to get out of there. I scattered the scraps of skin and muscle around the alley, hiding it amongst the garbage as best I could. I knew Joaquin could put himself back together, but maybe if I spread the pieces far enough, it would take him longer to re-form. I grabbed what remained of Joaquin’s body, bigger limbs that I hadn’t completely destroyed and scraps I couldn’t hide, and hastily ran out of the alley, blurring past the two officers who had just stepped out of the flashing car to investigate.

I had no destination in mind when I started running, only that I needed to get as far away from that alley as possible. I skirted the edge of the highway, flying past the cars and leaving Portland far behind. A wayward toe fell off the pile of parts I carried, bouncing in the road and creating divots wherever it went, but I paid it no mind. In fact, after I had covered a significant distance from where I’d dropped the toe, I grabbed another piece of Joaquin--half of an ear--and chucked it deep into the forest. Once I put more ground between me and the fragment of ear, I ducked into the forest myself, whizzing between the trees. I was trying my best to swerve and circle back and disguise my trail like I’d noticed Joaquin and Maria do before, but I didn’t have their experience or understanding of tracking. Of course, I smirked, in this state, Joaquin was unlikely to stumble upon my scent before it was just a memory upon the breeze. Still, I didn’t want to take any chances. 

I darted out from the cover of trees now and then to dispose of another piece of Joaquin. I scattered them as I fled, hiding them in ditches or among the foliage when I could. Whenever I dropped a clump of muscle or a revolting finger, I made sure to randomly change direction, before eventually heading back to the forest, crossing back over my scent with a contrasting trail.I didn’t venture too close to humanity again. I needed a respite from their mesmerizing scent--which lingered in the back of my throat--before I was ready to test my control once more.

My feet carried me to the coast by midnight. Obfuscating my course and slowly ridding myself of Joaquin, piece by deplorable piece, added hours of time to my journey. But I didn’t feel the pressure of time like I had earlier. Now, the invigorating surge of excitement seized my body as I edged ever closer to Charlie.

I hadn’t been back to Forks, let alone Washington, in years. Even when I was human, my memories of the lackluster town were hazy, and often purposefully banished from my mind. But now those memories were cloudier than ever. It was only due to a lightbulb moment when I spotted the sign for the 101 that I knew I was close. There was just one more thing I had to do before I could head for home. I continued running along the coast, searching for the perfect place for my needs. There was a memory niggling at the back of my mind, teasing me with knowledge. It was frustratingly just out of reach. I had the vaguest sense of an image. No picture, just the feeling of what it was supposed to be. One of the seemingly endless national parks and remote camping locations that Charlie had tried to take me hiking and fishing in, before I put my foot down and demanded sunnier excursions. I squinted as I raced along Washington’s rocky and driftwood covered beaches, chewing my lip as I attempted to clarify the memory.

The giant stones surrounding the beach--monoliths covered in mature trees and carved rocks looking more like alien spacecrafts jutting up towards the sky--seemed familiar. But just as I was starting to uncover what the grand formations meant, a sudden flash of lightning and resounding thunderclap distracted me. I groaned as the memory slipped away, and a harsh deluge of rain pelted the beach. I kicked the rocks that coated the beach in frustration.

Specks in the sand and stone caught my attention, glittering like crystals or rubies. _Rubies._ That was it. Ruby Beach. Charlie had taken me here for a weekend one summer when I was twelve. There’d been camping and fishing, and much whining and groaning from me...and an island several miles out from sea with a historic lighthouse! Gasping, I looked out on the water to see the same island that had just appeared in my mind--only in much higher definition. _Destruction Island._ That was what it was called! Yes...a slow smile tugged at the corner of my lips. An aptly named place for what I had in store. 

I submerged myself in the water, kicking out towards the island. The current was strong in the storm, and carried me out to the isolated landmass in record time. I shook off the water as I climbed to the peak of the island, growing more determined with every step. There was a grouping of old buildings, off-white and ivory with salmon colored roofs, near the brink. A lone spire--the lighthouse--stood amongst the squat buildings. 

I stepped past the antique lighthouse, out onto the edge of the cliff, hair whipping in the howling wind. Rain fell in relentless sheets. The ocean, gray and grisly, roared, spewing waves of angry water against a wall of knife-like rocks angled at every direction. It was an imposing sight. I glanced down at the last piece of Joaquin I carried with abhorrence. A hand. His hand that had grabbed me and torn my arm off. The hand that had punched me, choked me, pummeled me into submission. Growling, I tightened my grip on the hand, stabbing it with my nails, hoping that in whatever state he was in, Joaquin could still feel pain. I brought the wretched limb close to my chest. I let go of the appendage briefly to slick my hair back with one hand and took several large steps backwards. Glaring at the sea, I brought my hand back to cover my hand and Joaquin’s, crossed over the center of my chest. My head ducked down and my brows came together as I stared down the cliffside. I raced to the edge at top speed and hurled myself off the cliff.

Air whistled past me and I sliced into the water with a graceful dive. I swam down to the darkest depths of the ocean, till I brushed against the rocky floor. I pushed boulders aside, hunting for the perfect cavernous crater. But none were deep enough to my liking, so I released one hand to dig through the sea floor until I reached my desired depth. I stuffed Joaquin’s hand into the hole, forcefully molding the rock around it. I grabbed one of the boulders I’d discarded--the largest one--and dumped it on top of the hand. I filled in the hole with the other boulders, and rearranged the sea floor until no one could ever tell that it’d been disturbed. With a satisfied smile, I kicked back up to the surface.

I burst out of the water, my hair flying up and over my head. I grinned broadly, cheek to cheek, and laughed in exaltation. My spirits were lifted, and I felt the months of stress and anger dissipate in the choppy water. The burden of Joaquin was gone. _Truly_ gone. Releasing a blissful sigh, I kicked onto my back and floated in the water, oddly peaceful despite the surrounding storm. The heavy rainfall was cleansing, and I imagined the droplets coating my face as the jubilant tears I could not shed.

Thunder rumbled overhead, shifting from a powerful drum to a gentle purr. The wind quieted, and the rocking waves calmed to a gentle lull. The storm was easing up, and it seemed to be a sign for me to continue on. Feeling more relaxed than I could ever remember, I flipped onto my stomach and swam back to shore.

“Right,” I said as I wrung my clothes out on the pebbly beach. “To Charlie.”

I easily found the highway, and began to follow the 101 north to Forks. I had barely gone a mile when I heard voices, curiously clear and conversational for the time of day. It was just past dawn and this stretch of highway was deserted.

“Why did you drag me out here, Alice?”

My breath caught and I came to an abrupt stop. It was the most beautiful voice I’d ever heard. Smooth, melodious, warm...a drizzle of honey mixed into tea. The annoyance in his tone was obvious and strangely endearing.

“Someone’s coming and I need your help!”

The second voice--Alice, I presumed--was bright, a true soprano bursting with perkiness.

“Who?”

“Someone! A newborn!”

The word jolted me from my stupor. Somehow I didn’t think they were referring to a human baby. What did they know? Their voices were terrifyingly close. The wind was blowing in the wrong direction so I couldn’t smell to see if they were like me...but if they were...

I hurriedly climbed the closest tree, camafloucging myself in the leaves as best I could. But my curiosity was piqued and I couldn’t help peering down through the branches to watch the pair arrive. I wanted to see the boy’s face. I wondered if it would be as beautiful as his voice.

“A newborn?” There was a brief pause following his dumbfounded response. “I don’t _hear_ anyone, Alice.”

“No?”

“ _No.”_

“Huh. Well that’s....unexpected.”

“You never say that.”

His voice really was gorgeous...so enchanting. But there was something worrying in the way he and the girl spoke. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I suddenly felt uneasy. I backed away from the branches and huddled close to the trunk of the tree. There was something they weren’t saying, some undertone to their conversation and I just knew it was about me. My instincts reacted negatively to the thought of a potentially hostile coven trying to find me. I had to get out of there, and sadly leave the euphonious voice behind. Maybe I could sneak a peek at him as I ran past, just to satisfy my curiosity...

“Look what you did, Edward!” Alice cried with exasperation. “She’s going to run!”

What? How did she know that?

“It’s okay!” Alice called. “We’re not going to hurt you!”

She sounded sincere, trustworthy...but that could just be a trick to get me to lower my guard. I’d seen it happen before.

“I promise!” she called again. “You don’t have to be afraid!”

“Speak for yourself,” the boy--Edward--said. “I’m going to get Jasper. You should’ve brought him along in the first place.”

No! He couldn’t leave! Not without me seeing him first! My impulse control got the better of me and I jumped down from my hiding spot. I regretted my decision instantly as I hit the ground and took in the pair.

A tiny, skinny girl with spiky black hair. A red-headed teen who towered over her.

Aw crap. I had found the Major’s coven.


End file.
